Meringandan is a corruption of the aboriginal words,
Moorin meaning
fire and
Gandan meaning
clay. Therefore, Meringandan means 'place of fire and clay'. About 1875, the German settlers established a Lutheran church. St Gregory's Anglican Church was established in 1886. A Congregational Church opened in 1909. A Church of Christ opened in 1919. Meringandan State School opened on 24 January 1876. It was built in 1875 by Jack Maag. Isaac John Thomas was appointed the first head teacher of the school. The enrolment for that year was 80 pupils. It is now within the suburb boundaries of
Meringandan West. A
branch railway line was constructed from Toowoomba to
Cabarlah, and the first train ran in September 1883. As Meringandan had a railway station, the settlers in the
Goombungee and
Haden areas used it to forward their goods. Most farmers did their carting, but well-known carriers were Jack Wieck, Herman Lau, George Klein and Jack Lange. In the early 1900s, a line of teams stretching for half a mile, waiting to load or unload at the railway station, was a familiar sight. However, the construction of the
Haden railway line to
Haden in 1910 reduced the need to use Meringandan's railway station; meanwhile, the use of motor transport was increasing. Following the closure of the railway yards, the railway station was replaced with a park.St Gregory's Anglican Church was consecrated on Sunday, 12 September 1886 by
Bishop William Webber. It was located on a piece of land near the railway station, donated by Mr Foland. Mr Maag built it, and it was and could seat 150 people. In 1905, it was relocated to
Kingsthorpe, where it was re-consecrated as St Gregory's by
Archbishop St Clair Donaldson on 20 October 1905. It closed circa 1982. On Sunday, 2 February 1896, a new Lutheran church opened, replacing the previous one that had become dilapidated over its quarter century of use. L. Goebel and Son of Gomoran built the new church. The church was with the
vestry and the
porch with high walls. Inside, there was an elevated cedar
pulpit. At the beginning of the 1900s, the Court House was moved from
Cabarlah and erected at Meringandan. Before 1900, the farmers' wives baked their bread, but early in the century, a bakery was established by O. Wuersching, the first baker employed being Walls. Brigalow Park Provisional School opened on 17 October 1910. On 1 May 1912, it became Brigalow Park State School. It closed on 13 April 1962. == Demographics ==