Kelsey, Texas: The Founding and Development of a Latter-Day Saint Gathering Place in Texas

• Main Author: Vandygriff, James Clyde
• Format: Others
• Published: BYU ScholarsArchive 1974
• Subjects: Kelsey; Texas; History; Upshur County; Mormons; Colonization; Cultural History; Mormon Studies
• Online Access: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/5185; https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6184&context=etd

Kelsey, Texas, was a flourishing Latter-day Saint colony for more than a quarter of a century, beginning at a time when the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was encouraging its converts to stay in the mission field. Kelsey was an attempt by the Church to provide Latter-day Saints from the southern states a safe haven from persecution which existed in the South, while leaving them in a geographic area in which they could be comfortable. The growth and success for many years of the Kelsey Academy was the result of an interesting partnership, not always tranquil, between the Church and the state of Texas. Although the academy is closed and the community is little more than a collection of dairy farms at present, Kelsey served a valuable role in building up the strength of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in East Texas.