History:

The history of San Jacinto County dates back to Stephen F. Austin's first colony, although the formal establishment of our county took place in 1870, when parts of Polk, Walker, Montgomery and Liberty counties were combined to form San Jacinto County. Austin's colony extended to the Trinity River watershed, roughly along Texas 156 toward Point Blank. After receiving a commission from the Mexican government to settle this area, Joseph Vehlein, a German immigrant to Mexico, deeded 640 acres to Robert Rankin, an American Revolutionary officer and an ancestor of our old families. This acreage included the site of Coldspring.

Frederick Rankin, a son of Robert and one of Austin's "300", was a personal friend and Indian agent of Sam Houston. He and his wife, Elizabeth, were also pioneer Methodists. In 1848, they gave 3.25 acres for the establishment of Coldspring Methodist Church.
This gift of land predates the actual settlement of Cold Springs (old spelling), which did not begin until about 1850. In 1848, there existed only a trading post called "Coonskin", later "Fireman's Hill" nearby. The Rankins' gift included some houses already on the property. Likely, the "houses" were the first meeting place for the small congregation.

The sanctuary, which is still used today, was erected in 1858. No significant structural changes were made, though at various times, there were such additions as a two- story Sunday School Annex (built in 1939), a partial brick facade and siding. The pulpit was modernized and the central partition separating slaves and the white congregation was removed.

According to the Quarterly Conference Minutes of the Coldspring Circuit, the charge included Waverly, Hickory Grove (now Evergreen), Shocklee's Chapel (near what later became Oakhurst), Mount Zion (later Stephens Creek) and Coldspring. This was a formidable distance for a pastor to cover and truly in the tradition of John Wesley.