BURNING BUSH

NAME: Burning Bush
COUNTY: Smith
ROADS: 2WD
GRID: 4
CLIMATE: Warm winter, hot summer
BEST TIME TO VISIT:
Winter, spring, fall
COMMENTS: Near Tyler.
REMAINS: Nothing.
The Metropolitan Church Association, an offshoot of the Methodist Church in the northern states, established itself as a haven for those who felt their church was becoming too formal. Its headquarters was in Waukesha, Wisconsin. It was also referred to as the Society of the Burning Bush. Having established communal colonies in Virginia, West Virginia and Louisiana, plans were made in 1912 to create a colony in Texas. In that year, 1,520 fertile acres were acquired near the town of Bullard. The land was ideal for agriculture that developed into the main source of income for the colony. The colony, however, was never self-supporting and created a financial drain on the Association. To meet its financial obligations, the land was sold in 1919 and the colony's residents dispersed. Today, none of the original buildings remain and the pecan orchard directly across the street from the present-day Bullard High School primarily marks the site of the former town. SUBMITTED BY: Henry Chenoweth

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