Pearl, Coryell County
A group of Methodists gathered in the home of the Rev. John Wesley Shook (1846-1921) in the winter of 1875-76 to organize a congregation. Early worship services were held in the Hope schoolhouse. In 1890 landowner Charley Karnes (1854-1933) gave the Methodist church three acres of land on which to build a sanctuary. By 1892 a Sunday School was in operation, and in 1900 a parsonage was built near the church. The existing sanctuary was erected about 1919-1920, and the parsonage was sold in 1953. Serving the people of a large area, the size of the church's membership varied over the years. As the population of surrounding communities began to grow, members of Pearl Methodist Church withdrew to help organize new congregations. In October 1975 the church celebrated its centennial with a special program involving descendants of J. W. Shook and other early members. Four years later, in March 1979, the congregation voted to disband and the church was officially discontinued by the Methodist denomination. The church property was given to the Pearl Cemetery Association in 1985. Pearl Methodist Church stands as a reminder of the area's early heritage. (1988)