The Church in the Wildwood

February 24, 2024

It takes a good deal of work to create these posts. The majority of my time is spent in preparing, describing, and labeling the images. Unless you are using screen reader software, which will read the alternate descriptions of each image, you are likely unaware of the extra, hidden content.

And then there is the time that goes into researching the places that we visit. I make an effort to get the details right while not directly quoting someone else’s work. Often, my descriptions are a combination of multiple sources–some online, some written. Since a lot of these trips are either quickly planned or spur-of-the-moment, Kristi and I often learn the interesting things about a place after we’ve visited.

Writing is the most fun part for me. It’s a good distraction. And I really don’t mind the work it takes to create these posts. I count each one of them as a journal entry in my and Kristi’s lives. It’s fun to review the articles and remember our shared experiences.

I need some distraction today. Although this adventure took place in February, today is March 14, 2024. It is the sixth anniversary of the wreck that took our little Patrick’s life, and very nearly took Kristi’s, too.

The reason that I have not posted about this adventure sooner is because work has been eating into my free time. But the images are prepared, the blog software has been updated, and all I needed to complete the post were the words that connect the pictures. So, here it is.

Saturday afternoon, February 24th, Kristi suggested that we get out of the house and go eat at Texas Legends Steakhouse in Madisonville. It’s one of our favorite restaurants. I had been talking about it recently and Kristi thought it would be a good idea for a late birthday celebration.

After a very good late lunch, we headed to the pecan store and got some treats. I was ready to head home, but Kristi was in a more adventurous mood. So, I decided that we should check out a nearby community that has been on my mind for a while: Porter Springs.

Route: The Church in the Wildwood, Part I

Porter Springs is a small community that sits at the junction of FM 2967 and FM 132 in Houston County. Like many communities in this area, it was an important settlement in the 19th and early 20th centuries. At its peak it had several stores and churches, a school, a cotton gin, and a brick factory. It went into decline after World War II, as many small communities did when its residents moved away for better opportunities in the larger towns and big cities. TSHA reports that there was still an elementary and high school there as recently as the 1990s, but a historical marker (below) says that the school system only existed until 1965.

We approached Porter Springs from the southeast on FM 2967.

FM 2967 crosses FM 132 and changes to County Road 3070, which leads to the Porter Springs Cemetery. The cemetery sits atop a low hill overlooking some of the surrounding pastureland.

The cemetery is typical for the area. It was created when the member of a prominent family died, then the family donated land for a community cemetery. It is well maintained.

Juniper trees are a common site in cemeteries in parts where these trees thrive. It is said that their evergreen leaves represent eternal life. Eastern junipers, sometimes locally called cedars or red cedars, can grow to a great height and age.

I thought about continuing down CR 3070 to another county road, but Google Maps is not reliable when it comes to distinguishing between public and private roads. I wasn’t certain that it didn’t actually end in a private driveway and come out the other side of someone’s property onto the other road. So, we headed back toward Porter Springs.

A short distance from the cemetery we came across an American flag on a pole in a clearing in the trees. I later confirmed that there is a house further back, out of view.

We drove over FM 132 and headed back down FM 2967 toward CR 3057 to look for the Elisha Clapp Cemetery (not to be confused with Clapp Cemetery). We drove all the way to the end of CR 3057 but did not see the cemetery. We spoke to a local we met along the road who did not know where it was, either. Later investigation revealed that the cemetery is located on private property and only accessible to individuals who are accompanied by a member of the family who is buried there.

So, we turned around and headed back to FM 132. We traveled west to the end of the pavement, then turned and headed back east, once again going through Porter Springs.

FM 132 ends at TX-7, west of Crockett. The small house, below, is located near the junction. A sign on the front porch reads, “THE SUNDAY HOUSE.” We don’t know whether this is an actual private residence, a B&B, or a real Sunday House.

We drove into Crockett and took Loop 304 to FM 2110, which heads southwest away from town. FM 2110 and its unpaved portion, CR 3775 are also called Old Huntsville Road. CR 3775 ends at FM 1280 in Pearson’s Chapel but continues across the way as FM 3151. Kristi and I have been along FM 1280 and FM 3151 and through Pearson’s Chapel many times but have never been along FM 2110 and CR 3775 before. I know that’s a lot of road info to take in, so maybe the link below will clarify the route we took:

Route: The Church in the Wildwood, Part II

Not very far down FM 2110 we came across a historical marker standing along a fence line next to a pasture. Such things are not uncommon in Texas. Had the marker not been there, though, we would not have thought that there was anything special about this location.

A few miles past the marker the pavement ended and the road became CR 3375. I suppose this is where Old Huntsville Road actually begins, but I could be wrong.

The drive had been pretty so far, but then we came across something that made it positively exciting–at least from our point of view. Sitting there among the pine trees was an old church. Even better, it was a wooden church building. And the most exciting thing was that we could see a historical marker!

Shiloh United Methodist Church is a part of First United Methodist Church in Crockett. The present building has been around since 1883, according to the marker. It’s a beautiful site, nestled among giant loblolly pine trees. The old hymn, The Church in the Wildwood, kept playing in my head as we explored the grounds.

While exploring the church grounds I took note of a couple of spots that appeared to have been rooted through by feral hogs. This is not an uncommon sight in East Texas, so I didn’t think much of it. Later, however, Kristi said that she heard something “big” rustling around in the nearby woods. She was on the far corner of the building from where I stood, nearer to the piece of ground that had been torn up. I told her, “Head back to the truck now. I think it’s hogs.”

But she didn’t head directly back to the truck. She took a few more pictures. I told her, “It’s time to go. Let’s get back to the truck.” And then she sauntered over and got into her seat.

I mentioned that she didn’t seem too concerned about wild hogs. She responded, “I thought you said you saw a dog!”

Nope. No floppy eared puppies. Just big, mean, grunting, territorial pigs. I mean, there’s a chance that they would just run away. But there’s also a chance that a boar might decide we needed to be dispatched. We weren’t willing to take the risk. After a few more pictures taken from the safety of the truck, we wrapped up our exploration of the church grounds.

County roads run on either side of the little church and were begging to be explored. With the sun getting low that evening, though, we decided to postpone further exploration. We did go back a couple of weeks later to explore them. I will post about that adventure soon.