Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church

Established before the Civil War by pioneer area settlers, this congregation first met in a schoolhouse on the property of William Harvey Beeman (1817-1860), a member of the Mercer Colony. Early services were conducted by Methodist circuit riders, including the Rev. J. E. Ferguson, the father of Texas Governor James E. Ferguson. In 1870 the congregation purchased a building site (2 mi. SW) in conjuction with a local Cumberland Presbyterian church. Known as Goshen, the eighteen-acre tract was also used for camp meetings. Usually held after the harvesting of crops, the religious meetings often lasted several weeks. Church trustees acquired property at this site in 1877 from the estate of Jubilee Lafayette McKinney (1810-1872). A grove of oak trees here was the possible inspiration for the congregational name. Services were first conducted in a brush arbor and later in a frame sanctuary, which was replaced by a newer structure in 1905. Membership of Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church has included many pioneer area families and leaders of the surrounding area. (1981)

Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church is a historical marker in Corsicana, Navarro County, dedicated in 1981. It is one of 128 historical markers documented in Navarro County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 218 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 32.0636, -96.4974 near Corsicana. The nearest cataloged historic site is Oak Valley School (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include J. A. Megarity Homestead, 15th Texas Infantry Companies E and G, and Navarro Rifles.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5349011623. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.