Developed as a railroad town in the 1870s, Gladewater grew slowly but steadily in the first decades of its existence. In 1922, twelve adults and two children led by the Rev. H.T. Perritte of Longview met in Mr. and Mrs. J.A. Godfrey's home to organize a congregation of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. They soon built a simple one-room sanctuary. The church and the town experienced dramatic growth beginning in the 1930s, when a local oil boom brought more residents. Since that time, members have formed women's and men's groups to support the church and its many services and programs. (2005)