First United Methodist Church of Malakoff

Organized in 1852 by the Rev. Hezekiah Mitcham (1800-1865), this fellowship began with six charter members who first held services in various locations throughout the county. In 1854 the small congregation erected one of the first Methodist church buildings in the county. A log cabin chinked with mud, it was located on land donated by Mitcham's son James in the small settlement of Caney Creek. The church was known as Mitcham Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and the community also came to be called Mitcham Chapel. The town later was named Malakoff for a village in Russia that had gained recognition during the Crimean War (1853-55). The congregation grew steadily in its early years and provided service and leadership to the community. In 1883 the membership agreed to move to the relocated town of Malakoff, which had moved 1.5 miles southwest of the original townsite when the railroad came through three years earlier. Several sanctuaries, including one destroyed in a 1933 tornado, have served the church since the move. From its small beginnings, the First United Methodist Church of Malakoff has grown, while maintaining its important ties to early Methodist history in Texas.

First United Methodist Church of Malakoff is a historical marker in Malakoff, Henderson County, dedicated in 1983. It is one of 65 historical markers documented in Henderson County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 155 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 32.1724, -96.0104 near Malakoff. The nearest cataloged historic site is First Baptist Church of Malakoff (historical marker), about 0.6 miles away. Others within a short drive include Antioch Cemetery, First Baptist Church on Walker Street, and Malakoff Cemetery.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5213010358. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.