A screening of the new film, “Kelsey Seeds to Texas Roots:  Latter-day Saints in Northeast Texas,” will be presented at the Gilmer Civic Center on Thursday, April 16, at 7 p.m.  The event, hosted by the Kelsey-Enoch Pioneer Heritage Foundation, is free and open to the public.

The film, part of a Brigham Young University “saints by state” project, is a 30-minute television documentary developed by BYU professor and historian, Dr. Fred E. Woods, that highlights the growth and development of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in northeast Texas and prominently features Upshur County’s Kelsey community.

At the event, Dr. Woods along with film director, Brady Dunn, will introduce the project and show the film.  That evening historical photographs and memorabilia of the Kelsey and Enoch communities will be on display, courtesy of the Kelsey-Enoch Pioneer Heritage Foundation. 

This year marks the 125th anniversary of the LDS Church in Kelsey, the oldest continuously existing Latter-day Saint settlement in the southern U.S. 

Many current Upshur County residents can trace their ancestry back to early settlers in this community.

All are invited to attend.