In the early 1870’s the farming community, two miles north of Dallas, was referred to as “Oak Lawn”. It had no schools, no churches, no stores; but did have many beautiful oak trees. Here Rev. Marcus Hiram Cullum owned 10 acres; and on Sundays he preached to a gathering of his neighbors under the oak trees on the hillside overlooking Turtle Creek. He had moved from Tennessee in 1873, with his wife and eight children.
In 1874 the Sale-Dickason family gave two acres of land for a church-schoolhouse, beside the “Old Birdville Road” to the Cedar Springs community to the northwest. The neighbors gathered to erect a wood-frame one-room building, and on the third Sunday in September 1874 Rev. Cullum preached the first sermon here, and the worshipers sang Amazing Grace.
The little building was a church on Sunday, a schoolhouse on weekdays and a community center at all times. Here the modem Oak Lawn community “grew up” around the church which is now a beautiful block-long Gothic-Revival landmark building recognized by the City of Dallas, State of Texas and the National Register of Historic Places.
The little congregation grew slowly and in 1889 built a new wood-frame church with two spires, a small choir loft, and a foot-pump organ. It had central heating (a pot-bellied stove) and air-conditioning (open windows). The ministers preached from a lecturn which is still in use 100 years later.
The church ordered a large “Buckeye Bell” from Ohio, guaranteed for two years against breakage. It is still in use in the church bell tower over 100 years later.
Near the church stood a large Post Oak tree, which was a seedling in 1813. The Indians camped here before the white man came, and later General Sam Houston, President of the Republic of Texas, paused to rest under this great tree. It is now known as the “Genesis Oak” and other trees from its acorns are found throughout the neighborhood.
The community and the church membership continued to grow, and in 1911 the building was moved to make room for a new brick church building, with a bell tower, beautiful art-glass windows, and a lovely organ. This building was finished in 1915, and with additions in 1928 and 1950, is the block-long building of today. The rest of the church block serves as aparking lot and a play area for Oak Lawn’s Child Development Center, serving the entire community.
The church confined to grow through the years, and came to have a library, elevator, chapel, kitchen, “Fellowship Hall” and “Upper Room”. It has been the home of Boy Scout Troop 22 through 66 years. It hosted a Korean Methodist Church congregation until they got their own building. In 1974 Oak Lawn celebrated its Centennial Anniversary, and many former members returned for its homecoming events.
Through 116 years the strength of this great church has been its people. It has had forty senior ministers and numerous assistants. Of its 50 Church Board Chairmen, two have been women, Lillian C. Tate and Marion C. Griffith.
In earlier years Epps G. Knight, Charles B. Gillespie, Jake D. Cullum, Will H. Cullum and Rev. Will H. Hughes, Postmaster B.M. Burgher, SMU President Dr. Robert S. Hyer, and brothers Ashley W. Cullum and T. Marvin Cullum filled key positions in the church. Jeptha W. Blanton, Will H. Cullum Jr., George F. Pierce and Graham L. Pierce followed. Then came William M. Gilker, Wilson Crook, Felix Harris and George P. Cullum, and many others, both men and women.
In 1989 Charles G. Cullum, Dallas business leader, City Councilman, Church Board Chairman, Trustee Chairman, longtime Sunday School Teacher, wrote a book The Oak Lawn Vision, on the 115-year history of Oak Lawn Methodist. The church continues to fill requests from the public for copies of this 128-page book with its 250 pictures.
By Earl O. Cullum
