The Rock Church community is nestled in the southwest corner of Hood County, Texas, although some might argue that it is really in the middle of nowhere.  Both descriptions are quite accurate.  Rock Church is 14 miles southwest of Granbury, 13 miles northwest of Glen Rose and less than a mile east of the Erath county line.  It typically is not a place you pass on your way to someplace else unless, of course, you are hopelessly lost.

The community actually predates the stately stone sanctuary for which it is named (photo above) and even the county in which it is now located.  The first Anglo settlers (circa 1857) were residents of Erath County until the creation of Hood County in 1866.  The Rock Church was conceived in the early 1870s as a place of worship, a school and a Masonic lodge.  Like a fortress on the frontier, the massive structure overlooking the Paluxy River provided its builders with a sense of security and a resolute symbol of permanence.  The Rock Church and adjacent cemetery anchored a neighborhood that eventually extended several miles in every direction.

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My ancestors first arrived in this part of Texas in the early 1860s.  The last one left the area in 1915, although it took death's mighty grip to pry him away. 

Some 80 years later, I stumbled back into Rock Church.  On the lengthy drive to reach my destination, I literally and figuratively left civilization behind.  My ancestors were long gone, yet their spirit seemed to have remained.  I immediately felt that I had come home.

Since that time, I have attended most of the annual Rock Church "Homecomings."  I have been fortunate to meet a few distant cousins there and been privileged to associate with the descendants of my ancestors' good neighbors.  They are good neighbors still, despite the vast expanses that now separate our places of residence.  Not too surprisingly, we all share a strong affinity with Rock Church.  Regardless of our backgrounds and personal experiences with the area, we all consider Rock Church a special place ... a home away from home.

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