GOD & TEXAS: Alvin, Texas

When visiting the city of Alvin, Texas, you can enjoy a good meal at Joe’s BBQ or Dairy Land. Or you may dine at the historic Stanton’s Shopping Center which has been providing groceries, meats, clothing, fabric, housewares, hardware, and a fountain area for meals for over 100 years!

Additionally, Alvin has several notable athletes who grew up in their fine city.  Some of them include MLB pitchers Nolan Ryan and Nathan Eovaldi, NFL quarterback Joe Ferguson, and sprint car racing champion Darryl Wills.

But one curiosity that makes Alvinites proud is a commonly held tradition that was detailed in a history of Alvin written by Mrs. O.W. Woods. She said that many of the legends passed down through the years about the eccentric founder Alvin Morgan were fictional. However, it was true that he was always accompanied by a dog, a goose, and a buzzard!

The first settlers who came to northern Brazoria County found flat coastal prairies, wetlands, and bottomland hardwood forests. In 1845, Elisha and Missouri Thomas built a cedar log cabin and established the first of many cattle ranches that still dot the landscape.

In 1872, the Santa Fe railroad built a flag station near the head of Mustang Slough. They hired Alvin Morgan to supervise operations primarily related to the cattle industry. By 1879, he had built a home and was convincing other settlers to put down roots.

The town incorporated under the name of Morgan in 1891 and claimed a population of 2,000 residents. However, postal officials said that there was already a Texas town named Morgan, so they incorporated a second time under their founder's first name, Alvin.

In 1900, Alvin boasted of six hotels, four churches, two weekly newspapers, a bank, an opera house, and a successful pickle factory. However, the powerful hurricane that inundated Galveston also wrecked about half of Alvin's houses and caused damage that would be equal to $13.6 million in todays’ money. 

In 1905, the town was still recovering from the devastation when Charles Parham began preaching on the downtown streets. His Pentecostal message was well received, and he was invited back to hold meetings in the opera house. But the crowds inundated the opera house and forced the meetings to move to a huge warehouse on the corner of Sidnor and Gordon. Amazingly, that facility could not contain the crowds nor the lines of people outside.

The town that had endured so much sadness and sorrow was now rejoicing in miracles of healing and exuberant worship. The local newspaper reported that many attendees were overwhelmed by the power of the Holy Spirit and lay on the floor for hours worshipping God. God had turned their mourning into laughter. The revival in Alvin sparked similar meetings in Katy, Richmond, Angleton, and Crosby. 

God has promised in Acts 3:19-20 NLT, “Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord.” 

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