Easter a Century Ago

Union Church Building, 2002.

It's Easter time.  I decided to look in the old newspapers to find out how Easter was celebrated in Kerrville in the past. These are the highlights of Easter from about a century ago as reported in the local paper.

The earliest mention of Easter in the newspapers is in 1902 when shops were advertising Easter hats and bonnets. Few of us wear hats to church anymore, even at Easter; one custom seemingly gone with the wind.  However, secular customs common today were being mentioned in the newspapers by 1903--dyed eggs, baskets, and cards.
That year, the Kerrville Book Store offered "Easter Egg Dyes, Easter Cards, Easter Eggs, etc." The religious significance of the day was not ignored.  The Kerrville Mountain Sun of April 11, 1903, reported "Special Easter services at the Methodist church, Sunday, April 12.  Easter Music. Sermon on the resurrection by the Pastor". Oddly, this is the only mention that year of an Easter church service. There were probably others, but maybe they just didn't get their press releases in on time!

In 1905 the Famous (a retail store) offered Easter egg dyes with this comment: "Don't let the little ones pass Easter without rabbit nests and fancy eggs."  It appears by this time Easter  baskets were already a staple of Easter celebrations, although they were called "rabbit nests".

In 1906 there was only one Easter service in the city "on account of the illness of Rev. Jas. Drummond, pastor of the Presbyterian church, and the absence of Rev. J. T. King, of the Methodist church." "The Episcopal church was filled to its utmost capacity Sunday morning, and many were turned away for lack of room.  The floral decorations were exceedingly beautiful, the special music was delightful, and the sermon of Rector Galbraith was timely, interesting and helpful." I found it surprising that the other churches were unable to have even a lay preacher in the pulpit on Easter.  That wouldn't happen today! Someone would be there.

By 1909  worshippers could choose between services at the Methodist, Episcopal, Presbyterian, and Catholic churches.  The Union Church was still in use, and was being shared by the Christian Church and Lutherans.  They were not mentioned as holding Easter services, so perhaps this was the a off-week for both. (The Union Church originally was shared by four denominations, who took turns using the building.)

In 1913 a Sunday school class had an Easter egg hunt on the lawn of the teacher's home--the first such mention in the newspaper.

Aside from the Union Church, only one of those early Kerrville church buildings--the first First Presbyterian church building--reportedly remains today, but where?  Can anyone tell me?  A picture of the church from 1916, and a fairly recent photo are shown here.

Original First Presbyterian Church, ca 1916.

Original First Presbyterian as a residence.

I'll close with this quote from the Kerrville Mountain Sun for April 20, 1920: "Whether you are Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Catholic or what not, Easter ought to be the one day in all the year when you would make a supreme effort to come to the Sunday morning worship of your church."  I hope you were there.