Chatfield, Texas

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History

Chatfield History 1933. The story of the location of the town of Chatfield is very interesting. About the year 1848, shortly after the settlement of Taos, an old man named Chatfield pitched his tent near a spring a few miles West of Taos on the road to Corsicana and from this "base of supply" he peddled tinware and household articles to the early settlers. However, after each trip to the settlements he would return to his spring and once more erect his tent and display his wares to those passing along the road. In a short time after this itinerant merchant made the spring his headquarters another man by the name of Kincaid settled near the spring and soon a community sprang up which took the name of the old peddler, Chatfield.

Some of the early settlers around this spring, in the midst of which the town grew, were Captain Robert Hodge, and Josiah Hodge, his brother. R. L. Hodge, son of Capt. Hodge, was born and lived near Chatfield for 72 years.

Chatfield Baptist Church. Reportedly the owner of one hundred slaves and 1280 acres of land, Robert Hodge settled in this area in 1849. Hodge allowed his slaves to organize two churches -- a Baptist church and an African Methodist Episcopal Church. They shared a building known as the Colored Community Church of Chatfield with the Rev. Z. T. Pardee as pastor. By 1858 the Baptist congregation formed by Hodge's slaves was part of the Chatfield Baptist Church. In that year the Chatfield Baptist Church joined the Richland Baptist Association. During this time, white pastors preached to both white and black congregations, one in the morning and one in the evening. After emancipation many freed slaves remained in the area. They became both sharecroppers and landowners. One distinguished local family was that of Allen R. Griggs (1850-1922), a Baptist minister dedicated to the education of black Texans. His son, Sutton Elbert Griggs (1872-1933), was born in Chatfield. A minister who was heavily involved in Texas Baptist life, Sutton E. Griggs became a noted African American writer. The Navarro Baptist Association was formed in 1887 and the Chatfield Baptist Church transferred its membership to the new organization. The town of Chatfield reached its peak in the 1890s with a population of 500. The Chatfield Baptist Church congregation continues to uphold the traditions of its founders through worship and service to the community. - Historical Marker Text. Marker erected. 1999. Located at 8323 N. E. 1100th St., Chatfield

Chatfield United Methodist Church. In 1846, the Rev. J. E. Ferguson, whose son was to be a governor of Texas, preached to Methodists in this area. Robert Hodge, who founded Chatfield, built a brush arbor and let camp meetings be held at his spring. In 1858 he donated a site for a lodge hall, where all faiths worshipped for years. In 1886, Mr. and Mrs. Nail McMullan gave the Methodists a site for a church of their own. Peak membership came in 1896 under the Rev. George Clark. The original building was destroyed by a storm in 1937; the present one was completed in 1938. - Historical Marker Text. Marker Erected 1976. Located at FM 1603, 12 mi. N of Corsicana.