Historic Church Undergoes Renovation

Just a few miles south of Thorndale, Texas on FM 486 at county road 455 rests a small farming community that is actually older than The State of Texas. Settlers had come to this area during the Austin Land Grant period. So far, the earliest recorded person we are able to find out about is a person named Bonds, who died there in 1834 and is on the rolls as being buried in the cemetary at the site. In 1859 a Presbyterian Minister and school teacher named Malcom Campbell Conoley came to the area where he fullfilled the immediate need for a school and church.

Mr. Conoley remained all his days in the area. Due to his construction of the school and church, the area then became known as the Conoley Community.

In 1890, the church property was deeded by Ms. Nancy Ann Conoley, and in 1898 G. A. Wills conveyed another tract to the Conoley Community Church and School.

  Ms. Katie Sheppard Hanks told us the school house burned completely to the ground In 1898, and the school moved over to the church building where she attended school all her school days. The picture in this article is one taken shortly after the two were combined. Although the picture is undated, the dress indicates sometime around the turn of the 20th century. There is no information concerning who is in the picture, but as it shows, the school was a thriving and well-attended one.

The church building, which was completed in 1900, and the land deeded as Conoley Community Church and School is still standing today, although in need of many repairs.

The congregation of Conoley Community Church is currently in the process of restabilizing the foundation, and restoring the building. They are also seeking Historical Site status from the State of Texas and the National Historical Register.

The school continued up into the 50's, and many, many people of the area learned the 3 R's there.

During the 30's and 40's, the grounds were used quite extensively for community gatherings, dinners-on-the-ground, and singings. Many famous and not-so-famous Southern Gospel Quartets could be found at the Conoley Community Church, including the original Blackwood Brothers, the Stamps-Baxter Quartet, and many others.

The cemetary, which is still in use today upon occasion, is located on the rear section of the church property, and contains markers dating from as early as 1834. A number of civil war veterans are buried there.

One marker, provided by the Citizens of the Republic of Texas, adorns the grave of Margaret Stiles. Evidence of the "black plague" epidemic that swept through central Texas in those crucial years is abundant, with numerous markers denoting young children and parents that all died within a two year span around 1870.

Conoley Community Church is actively seeking contributors and donors that are interested in helping to preserve this small piece of Church History and Texana. Repairs will be on-going and extensive over the next several years. Building materials and labor would be appreciated deeply.

Anyone interested in helping in any way are urged to contact the church via mail at

Conoley Community Church
P. O. Box 537, Thorndale, Texas 76577-0537,
or by calling The Master's Table at 512-446-0306, or faxing 512-446-7960. E-mails can be sent to The Master's Table.