There is an Historical Marker on the Northwest corner of the property with the following story:

 First United Methodist Church

of Van Alstyne

Outgrowth of Liberty class formed in 1897 for Bible study and worship, in log cabin of Jim Creager (1.25 mi. S) by the Rev. Joab Biggs, of the Dallas Methodist Circuit and M.F. Cole. In 1855, after a rainstorm that detained quarterly conference delegates to listen to an all-night sermon the Rev. Y.S. McKinney preached for three weeks and had 60 conversions. The enlarged class moved to Mantua, where it built a frame chapel on the town square and was renamed Mt. Zion Methodist Church. At founding of Van Alstyne on Houston and Texas Central Railroad in 1873, Mt. Zion moved its building into town, to a site now in Van Alstyne cemetery.

By 1890 membership exceeded 400. The congregation moved again, erecting a larger building at Waco and Jefferson streets, and changed name to First Methodist Church.

In this Sanctuary in 1894 there was organized the first district Epworth League of the southern Methodist Church. Here in 1912 Ex-President Theodore Roosevelt gave an address and in 1917 one of Texas’ earliest Boy Scout troops was formed.

Present Sanctuary was completed and dedicated in 1917 with dedicatory sermon given by the Rev. Sam R. Hay. The present name was given after a national ecumenical accord was reached in 1968.

1972