Cathedral Church of Saint Matthew, Dallas, Texas - History

History

The first Episcopal church service held in Dallas, was conducted by the Reverend George Rottenstein on May 25, 1856. The services were held on the second floor of a general store. At the time, Dallas was a town of about 400 people. The small congregation grew, and Mr Rottenstein submitted Articles of Association to the Episcopal Church for the creation of the Episcopal Church of Saint Matthew to be effective September 21, 1857. The articles were ratified at the General Convention.

On July 8, 1860, a fire broke out in Dallas that consumed most of the businesses on the town square as well as the rented facilities and all church belongings and records of Saint Matthew’s. The fire has been attributed to abolitionists by several historians. When the Right Rev. Alexander Gregg, first bishop of Texas, visited Dallas in October 1860, he found no church building, no records, and only six communicants. Bishop Gregg gave assistance to the small congregation so that the parish could continue.

The parish recovered and grew such that by 1870, the parish had enough funds for the construction of its own church. Its church bell was added later that same year.

As the city grew, it became necessary to move the church to another location. In 1877, it was put on heavy rollers pulled by oxen. However, the building collapsed. Parishioners, with the help of citizens, carried the boards by hand to the new location and another church was built.

The Diocese of the Missionary District of Northern Texas was formed, led by the Right Reverend Alexander Garrett, and on February 2, 1875, Bishop Garrett named Dallas his see city and Saint Matthew’s as his cathedral church. On December 20, 1895, the Diocese of the Missionary District of Northern Texas became the Diocese of Dallas.

In 1893, a fine new stone cathedral was constructed on the corner of Elm and Lamar. But within a few years, the growing industrious city life encroached. Train tracks were laid close by, and one of the train services had noisy steam engines arriving at a nearby station at noon each Sunday. By the late 1920s, the Cathedral Church of Saint Matthew decided to relocate the church to a temporary location and then assess the possibilities.

At that same time, Saint Mary’s Episcopal College for Women was facing substantial financial struggles as new schools opened in the city. Bishop Garrett closed his beloved school and purchased the property for the cathedral. The cathedral moved into its current location in July 1929. The Wall Street Crash of 1929 occurred in October, and the cathedral, like its parishioners and citizens of Dallas, suffered greatly. The cathedral was unable to afford another move, and so the temporary move to Saint Mary’s Episcopal College for Women became permanent.