MENARD, TX — Before the railroad arrived in Menard in 1911, the little town was called Menardville, established with Menard County between 1871 and 1872. The railroad asked the town’s fathers to drop the “ville’ to save on paint and longer lumber for the railroad signs. But before the railroad arrived, there was this small, one-room Catholic Church in the small town located 67 miles southeast of San Angelo.
When construction was completed by the Catholics of Menard in November 1899, it was christened Sacred Heart Church. It is located one block south of the business district on property donated by the late J.J. Callan in 1872.
Callan was the newspaperman, county commissioner, and justice of the peace in Menardville from the time of his arrival after the Civil War in 1868 until his death in 1917. Father Mark Woodruff who currently serves as the pastor of the parish chuckles when referring to Mr. Callan.
“We called the Menard Historical Society and the only photo they could find of Mr. Callan was taken in a bar in Menardville called The Legal Tender Saloon,” the Father said.
Mr. J. J. Callan: Irish immigrant, Georgetown graduate, Texas Ranger, Confederate veteran, settler in Menardville 1871 (year it was founded). Donated land for Catholic Church 1872. Instrumental in its construction in 1899. About 1910 at the Legal Tender Saloon. Mr. Callen is right of center facing the bar holding a cane.
If anything good can come from being a devout Catholic memorialized in a saloon, at the very least, the photo proves he’s not a Baptist. Putting the saloon aside, however, in a biography of Callan written in 1911, we learned that he was a “servant of the people [and] his ministrations are always of the highest possible character.” He is buried in Menard’s Pioneer Rest Cemetery.
The congregation used the 1899 church building as its place of worship until a new church was constructed at 609 Ellis Street in Menard in 1955. The old church features gothic revival architecture that was popular at the turn of the last century. It featured native stone and lancet windows. The church was constructed under the direction of Rev. P. Baudrillard for the Sacred Heart Parish.
Between 1955 and today, the 1899 church was used for a variety of meetings and activities. Yet the old structure has fallen into disrepair. Termites have eaten most of the old wood flooring. When readying the old structure for renovation, the floor was deemed unrepairable and torn out. Underneath was another historical treasure. The parishioners learned that the original floor was concrete. But in 1899, knowledge of the use of rebar had not yet reached west Texas. So today, 124 years later, the concrete floor will need to be re-poured, Father Woodruff said. He promised the new concrete floor will have a shine.
Undated photo, likely 1910s, of early parishioners.
Early city plot showing the location of the 1899 Sacred Heart Church bottom in blue, slightly left.
Early 1900s Interior of 1899 church. Note the statue of Sacred Heart (Jesus).
Retained items from the original alter of the 1899 church.
The alter's statue of Jesus has already been restored. Original is on the left, restored on the right.
Termites destroyed wooden floor of church and was removed, revealing an older floor in altar area. Also revealed, a locked trap door (closed on the left; opened on the right) not opened in 75 years! Did it hide the famous “lost silver mine” of Menardville legend? Or hidden treasure? When opened, it revealed … dirt and crumbling concrete.
Original communion alter discovered underneath the wood floor when it was removed.
Left, the old wood floor that had to be removed due to termites. On the right is the old concrete slab that was likely the original floor of the church. The restoration will re-pour the slab.
A committee of parishioners have already started the renovation efforts and raising money is a big part of that. The church is the second oldest in the Diocese of San Angelo where the oldest church building is located in Fort Stockton, called St. Joseph’s and built in 1875. Woodruff said when the Texas Historical Commission inspected the old church building, they declared it “in remarkably good shape.”
The estimate is that restoring the old church to a usable condition will cost around $150,000. Through matching funds from generous benefactors, the parish can get within striking distance of its goal. To meet the goal, like good Catholics, the parish is having a raffle for a 2023 Polaris 4-passenger ATV with trailer that is worth $20,000.
Church dedication in 1899.
The church in early 1900.
The front of the church in 1910s.
The side of the 1899 church today prior to restoration.
The original Sacred Heart Catholic Church of Menard built in 1899.
The Menard 1899 church today.
A wedding celebrated at the church in 1947. The new church was built in 1955.
Father Mark Woodruff, pastor of the Sacred Heart Church in Menard, sells raffle tickets and collects donations for the restoration of the 1899 church at Holy Angels Catholic Church in San Angelo on May 20, 2023.
“Due to the congregation’s small size, funds from outside the parish will be needed to complete the project,” Woodruff said. “The congregation wants to preserve its own religious history and the restoration of the old church is preserving our diocesan historical heritage as well.”
Woodruff said once the restoration is complete, mass will be celebrated there once per week. The church will also be available for weddings and funerals upon request. Destination weddings are popular today and the restored church serves more than just a quaint location. It will have a religious backdrop as well — after all it will be a functioning Catholic Church!
Every dollar raised in matched and you can purchase a raffle ticket for $20 each by mailing your donation to Sacred Heart, PO Box 788, Menard, Texas 76859.
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