Tabernacles like the Tolar Tabernacle once played an important role in communities across Texas and the southern United States by providing a comfortable outdoor gathering place before air conditioning. They hosted revivals and other religious meetings as well as weddings, reunions, homecomings, fairs, picnics, and other community events. Simpler than many permanent buildings but more durable than the brush arbor that came before, the Tolar Tabernacle was constructed about 1897 with construction costs supported by churches in the community. Though built and owned by the community as a whole, it was managed by trustees chosen from local church congregations. In 1904, Emma D. and J.P. Broughton sold the property where it stood to the association for $75.00. The open-air structure has a rafter system supported by timber posts and sawed lumber cross members, and a hip roof of corrugated metal in ribbed panels shelters the site. Although its use declined over the years, it still serves for community fish fries, and the annual Tolar School Homecoming has been held there since 1954.