Acton Baptist Church (First Baptist Church of Acton)
Acton, Hood County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1855, the Rev. Joseph "Fighting Joe" Robinson led approximately 20 charter members in organizing a Baptist congregation in Acton. He was followed by the Rev. James Halford, son-in-law of David Crockett, whose family lived in this vicinity. Local Baptists shared a structure known as the Long House with other denominations for many years; members built their own sanctuary in 1894. Although altered, it is still used today. Over the years, Acton Baptist Church, now First Baptist Church, has sponsored the establishment of new churches and provided leadership for local missions, community outreach and Baptist Association work. (2005)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1855, a preacher known as "Fighting Joe" Robinson gathered about twenty charter members to organize a Baptist congregation on the North Texas frontier at Acton. He was succeeded by the Rev. James Halford, a son-in-law of frontiersman David Crockett, whose family had settled nearby. For years the Baptists shared a communal building called the Long House before raising their own sanctuary in 1894, a structure still in use today.
Why it matters
Frontier churches like this one were the social anchors of new Texas settlements, and this congregation's tie to David Crockett's family links a small country chapel to one of the enduring names of the American frontier.
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Related people
- · Joseph "Fighting Joe" Robinson
- · James Halford
- · David Crockett
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Acton Methodist Church
Acton, TX
The settlement once called Comanche Peak Post Office took shape in the early 1850s, and its Methodists first worshipped in a shared union church and the local Masonic hall before establishing themselves on their own. In 1874 the trustees bought land here for church, school, and burials, raised their first sanctuary in 1899, and grew steadily—especially after the nearby de Cordova Bend Reservoir revived the area in the 1960s. From a handful of frontier worshippers the congregation swelled into the hundreds by the 1990s.
Acton Cemetery
Acton, TX
Acton Cemetery holds the grave of Elizabeth Patton Crockett (1788–1860), widow of Alamo hero David Crockett, along with two of his children; a monument and statue were raised in her memory in 1911. The surrounding grounds form the smallest state park in Texas. The community — first called Comanche Peak — was renamed Acton in 1855 by merchant C. P. Hollis, and pioneers set aside this plot as a burial ground after building a shared church and school.
Elizabeth Crockett
Acton, TX
This stone marks the grave of Elizabeth Crockett, second wife of frontier legend David Crockett, who died at the Alamo in 1836. Widowed by his sacrifice, she came to Texas years later to claim the land granted for his service, settling near Acton where she lived out her days. Her simple gravestone, at what is said to be the smallest state historic site in Texas, honors a pioneer woman who followed her husband's legacy to the frontier.
Grave of Elizabeth Crockett
Acton, TX
This grave marks the resting place of Elizabeth Crockett, second wife of frontiersman and Alamo defender David Crockett, who married him in Tennessee in 1816. After Crockett's death at the Alamo, Elizabeth eventually came to Texas on land granted for his service and died in 1860 in what is now Hood County. Her monument stands as a tribute to the family the famed frontiersman left behind.