'Sanctified Sisters' of Belton defy 19th-century norms, pioneering women's independence in Texas history

BELTON, Texas — Weird Wild West

In the late 19th century, while much of Central Texas was defined by cattle drives, saloons and frontier law, a quiet revolution was taking place in Belton. It wasn’t led by cowboys or gunslingers, but by a group of determined women who called themselves the Sanctified Sisters . Their wild story remains one of the most unusual chapters in Texas history.

The movement began after a local Belton woman, Martha White McWhirter, claimed a powerful spiritual “sanctification” experience around 1867. Her teachings attracted other women who felt stifled by the strict social expectations, and in many cases violent marriages, of the era. They gathered for prayer meetings, Bible study and spiritual reflection, slowly forming a religious sisterhood that broke sharp