Carr’s Chapel is an old methodist church and current wedding venue located between Petersburg and Floydada, TX in Floyd County. The Chapel is next to their cemetery added a few years after the Chapel was constructed 1914 which was 10 years after its founding in 1904. On April 15th of that year, a meeting was held at the Harmony School Building with seven members of the charter including William Hardy Carr who was the local minister, Marth Jane Carr, Anna Carr, Mather & Annie Carr, alongside Mr. and Mrs. B.P. Merrill. A slew of potential members were absent from the meeting due to a fire that had occurred a day prior.
The establishment was named the Harmony Methodist Society after being suggested by one of the first attending families of the church’s members, Mrs. D.T. Scott. Reverend Carr continued his ministry as the preacher of the church for four years. This first location was in the Clarendon District. The church “transferred” to a new location in the Colorado City, TX district in 1905, and just a year later, after constructing the Plainview District establishment, it was transferred to where it resides today.
When 1914 rolled around, the church had “outgrown” its facilities. Luckily, another church, the Allmon church, was also in need of more space for their congregation, so the two met halfway and opened Carr’s Chapel together. The first sermon was held on November 29 of the year the chapel was built and services continued two Sundays out of each month in both the morning and at night.
William Hardy Carr served as the pastor of Harmony church until 1908 and passed away in 1917. Before being asked to attend church by his wife after returning home from war, Mr. Carr was not a believer in the Chrisitan faith. He redirected and rededicated his life to ministry not long after his first church service. He had organized and established churches across the panhandle including the Lockney church which was founded in 1907.
The flu pandemic disrupted the Christmas Eve celebration in 1918 and Martha Jane Carr passed away in 1937. On June 23 of 1963, the chapel was presented a Texas Historical Marker for being the oldest operating church that continues to conduct services and two years later it was recorded as a historical landmark by the State of Texas. This was due to its contributions to the culture, history, and heritage of the great state.
In 1989, the church celebrated its 75th anniversary, their 95th in 1999, and their 100th in 2004. The Christmas Eve celebration was forced to be canceled due to a historic snow and ice storm in 2008 which kept residents in the safety and warmth of their homes. It was canceled again in 2020 because of the worldwide COVID pandemic, but the service was broadcasted over Zoom and Facebook so church goers could indulge in their annual tradition.
The chapel is also a wedding venue and offers three different packages. The first package is the Carr’s Only Package and includes just the venue as well as the sound system. If the married couple is wanting a tad more, they can choose the Classic Carr’s Package that offers these two things plus access to decor and an after party clean up crew. The last and biggest package is the Luxury Carr’s Package and includes all of these features in addition to set up, takedown, and a wedding coordinator.
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Map from Carr’s Chapel to AW Broadband:
Map from Carr’s Chapel to Pheasant Ridge Winery: