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The Community Garden Guild of Eagle Lake will host their Christmas Homes Tour Saturday, December 6, from 10:00 am – 6:00 pm. In addition to the four homes that have been featured this past month, two additional sites will also be a part of this year’s homes tour. Tickets can be purchased the day of the event at the Tea Room, 612 Melody Ln, or any home on tour. Tickets can also be purchased from any Garden Guild member.
Eagle Lake Santa Fe Railroad Depot The Eagle Lake Santa Fe Railroad Depot at the corner of Main and Lake Streets in Eagle Lake will again be a favored stop on the Homes Tour. A major source of transport, convenience and local notoriety for many years after its construction in 1911, the Depot is now a source of pride for the community and a reminder of the city’s rich heritage. The Depot has been a true labor of love by Ken Stavinoha, who bought the facility in 1970 when Santa Fe closed its doors. Restored as a museum by the non-profit organization Eagle Lake Depot, Inc., the former depot has been recreated to original features using authentic railroad memorabilia.
The Eagle Lake Christian Church
The Eagle Lake Christian Church was among the earliest congregations in Eagle Lake. The 137-year-old building remains today and is still actively used by Living Hope Church. It is the last of the early historic church buildings in Eagle Lake.
The Christian Church building was built in 1888 by Captain James William McCarty, Eagle Lake’s first mayor and notable businessman. He built the church on the corner of his own land near his large home. On August 1, 1902 he gave the land and building to the congregation before his death in 1903.
The church was built with 14-foot eaves. It was heated by stoves and was topped with an impressive 40-foot steeple over the entry. The church was constructed of cypress wood, with impressive stained-glass windows. The church was later surrounded by a wrought-iron fence, which was contributed to the World War II effort during the local scrap-metal drive.
The Church building and grounds were on the site of what was called by the Eagle Lake Headlight, the “Greatest Revival in the History of Eagle Lake,” July 1- 16, 1911. The revival was preached by Rev. Mordecai F. Ham, nationally renowned evangelist, with the active participation of the Christian church led by Reverend R.M. Bailey along with the Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian congregations.
After years of use, in 1935, the Christian Church building in Eagle Lake became vacant. The newly organized local Lutheran congregation sought their own church building after holding their church meetings in various public buildings. The Lutherans held their first services in the building on Thanksgiving Day, in 1939. Gottlieb Wolf was pastor. The Lutherans were only renting, and in 1950 they moved into a building they built on Stevenson St.
Following the Lutherans, the Assembly of God Church moved into the building under the initial leadership of Warren Brown. The last Assembly pastor, Neil Mills, ministered in the late 1980s after which the denomination closed the church permanently.
The current congregation, Living Hope Church, purchased the building from the Assembly of God moving in on Easter Sunday, March 31, 1991. In 2015, Living Hope embarked on a renovation of the historic Christian Church building which lasted until 2022. Living Hope’s Pastor, Joe Fling, dreamt of having the legacy of the McCartys and the Christian Church recognized and remembered. On March 31, 2019, a Texas Historic Marker was installed on the grounds creating a permanent memory and recognition of all of those who built, cared for, and worshipped in the historic building. Fling credits locals for helping Living Hope restore and preserve the building for many years to come for the community of Eagle Lake.
