Shiloh Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Clarksville, TX

Established 1833 Pastor Jack Holt

This church and cemetery are found northeast of Clarksville. From Clarksville you’ll take FM 1159 for about 3 miles to the to FM1700. There, you’ll turn right and head East about 2.9 miles. Turn right on CR 3205. Just down the road a short way is Shiloh Church and the Madras Cemetery. I found this church and cemetery while driving around on Google Maps and satellite views looking for a place to photograph the 2024 solar eclipse. I preferred to have wide open fields/pastures to shoot time lapse. I was pleasantly surprised to find this little church that appears to be well maintained as does the cemetery. There isn’t a large parking lot so I don’t know how many it serves. I’d love to learn more. I’m not a Presbyterian but my cousin is a Presbyterian pastor and I love to learn about church’s histories especially these in the rural areas of America.

The sky was partly cloudy. It was mostly cloudy when we got there but clouds broke up as the morning met noon and we had an hour left before totality. There was another couple there situated near the cemetery with their camera gear and chairs. We met them when we came up to the location and introduced ourselves. They are originally from North Carolina but said they were visiting here from the area in DFW near Speedway. They had already seen the last two eclipses, 2017 and 2023. I set up my tripod near the fence to the right of the church facing the West for time lapse. The boys were back near the car seated in their fold out chairs in the shade with their solar shades. As time passed, the sky became darker, the light changed dramatically. The sun was almost covered by the moon and it was almost dark. I noticed the streetlight near the building came on. We waited the 4 minutes 23 seconds taking pictures of the eclipse, standing in almost darkness. There was light to the east and gradually it shifted to the West.

We did not stay long after there was light. It took a bit of time for that moon to move completely away from the sun. We packed up our items and gear, placed carefully in the truck of the car and drove up to the church were we met the other two who were overjoyed to have watched this solar occurrence. We were too. We celebrated my son’s 15th birthday by watching the Solar Eclipse of 2024.

Finding information and history on this historical church was not easy, that is until I searched for Pastor Jack Holt. I found him first at “The Laymen’s Corner” Wednesday 11/27/2013. Laymen’s Corner/Forney Messenger “Faith is the Substance of Things Hoped For, The evidence of things not seen. Heb 1:11. This is the fourth Minister to answer the three questions about the above scriptures. Rev. Jack Holt is Pastor of the Shiloh Cumberland Presbyterian Church (Oldest church in the state) at Clarksville Texas. In his early years, Jack served as a motivational speaker to various companies. He served in the U. S. Army as a cook, and after retirement attended the Presbyterian Seminary to assume the pastor’s position. He also now sings Gospel songs and does devotionals at four different nursing homes there around Clarksville.” With a bit more googling, I then found him on a video talking about this church. I will share it here. Jack Holt pastor of Shiloh Cumberland Presbyterian Church-Shiloh’s 182 anniversary celebration

 

Terlingua

These pictures are only a few of this ghost town, mostly of the cemetery. If you google “Terlingua” you’ll find the town is known for being the Chili Capital of the World in 1967. There are all sorts of exaggerations and fabrications told in stories of this little town I call a scenic “pit stop” on the way to Big Bend National Park. You can look up all of that on your own time in your own library.

On my list of places-to-see/things-to-do, I did not expect Terlingua to be so populated. Maybe it was the lovely weather, but there was traffic like I did not expect. There is one Alon gas station in town on the highway 118 and it seems to be the only filling station in the area. The line was long. The morning was beautiful, not too hot, a perfect day to be under the Texas sun. There were several RV’s in front of me, a dozen or more motorbikes parked here and there either at gas pump or randomly placed in the large parking area in amongst any types of automobiles.

The sign on the door at Alon demanded there was a limit on how many people could be inside the store. pulled open the glass door and stepped in side. The heavy set clerk said, “your the last one”. I quickly turned to the right and walked to the back of the store, grabbed a couple large bottles of water out of the glass door cooler and then a Coconut Red Bull on the next refrigerator . There wasn’t much water left. I had enough gas to avoid the long line. Plus, Panther Junction has fuel in the Park.

I drove along the 170 west, turned off on Ivy Road and found the cemetery. So did many others. There was so much traffic. I had always imagined the cemetery, all of Terlingua, in fact, to be isolated out along a lonesome highway in the middle of the Texas desert. There is a Covid pandemic and people are packing in the restaurants and gathering areas.

The dead at the historic cemetery shared space with about six tourists, most standing around the signs at the entrance. One middle aged woman walked along the trails in the cemetery and could be heard on the other side talking to various people on her phone (speaker phone) and by the end of my visit, I knew where she’d been, where she was going and what she had for breakfast. The sky was brilliant blue, the air was still. Carrying my IR camera I explored the cemetery and the dilapidated structures to the West.

 

Rusk, Texas

Geocaching will find you some pretty interesting spots.  A few weeks ago, while on my trek home from the Piney Woods, I found this historic foot bridge.  According to records it was built in 1861 and then again in 1889.  It’s been restored over the years and is believed to be the longest footbridge in America.  You’ll walk 546 feet to get to the other side.  It is tucked back in an area that connects the residential neighborhoods with the downtown area.  We were quite pleased with this find.

What makes the Rusk name significant?  It was Thomas Jefferson Rusk who signed the Texas Declaration of Independence.  Other notable figures are associated with this town of 5500 + people.  Rusk is the county seat of Cherokee County.  The Cherokeean Herald is the town’s newspaper.   This is a little town along the route that I find each time some sort of interesting historical treasure to explore.

 

Running N Ranch, Saint Jo, TX

There’s a ranch south of Saint Jo about a mile south of town on FM 677. You can’t miss it. There’s a sign out front, an area to park, and out in the pasture you will see some big art situated under the warm Texas sun where cows graze and memories pass in the wind.

Earl Nunneley owns the land and according to various writings on blogs on this mass interweb, he has assembled various sculptures in his field “because he didn’t have enough to do” when he retired. I think everyone should stay busy and create whatever drives their imagination. You’ll some some Volkswagon Beetles lined up painted like lady bugs, metal sunflowers, and a variety of other creations.

Saint Jo, and I have probably written about this town years ago on this aged blog, is one of those special little Texas towns that you have to stop at when passing through. First of all, it’s the oldest town in Montague County. And it’s got stories to tell. And the friendly people there will be glad to tell you their side of the story.

 

Bulah, Texas

Along FM 23 west of Rusk about 8 miles is what is left of a small community that’s been here since 1900 plus or minus a few years. I have not found a website for Bulah, nor much information other than what’s on The Handbook of Texas Online. There is no community store, post office, or cafe. It’s a ghost town. But there are residents scattered throughout the quiet area and I did not want to show up on someone’s porch unannounced with a questionnaire. Fortunately I pass through Rusk each time I travel to Lufkin so I must do some research while in Rusk or Alto on my next trip.

There is a class photo taken at the Bulah School sometime between 1930 and 1939. My picture was taken February 2017 and is still used today.

What do you know about Bulah? Share it in a comment.