Bedias First Baptist Church
Bedias, Grimes County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The Rev. Anderson Buffington (1806-91), a Baptist missionary who fought at the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836, organized this church in 1848. Services were held in a small schoolhouse until the 1850s. In 1859 the congregation built this structure, which also served as a school until about 1903. Members of this fellowship helped start several other Baptist churches nearby. The congregation survived a split in 1913, but later dwindled because of population changes. The last regular service was held here in 1965. Restored in 1974, the building was deeded to the Bedias Cemetery Association.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The Rev. Anderson Buffington, a Baptist missionary who had fought at the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836, organized this congregation in 1848 in the early-statehood settlement of Bedias. After meeting in a schoolhouse, members built this structure in 1859, where it doubled as a school into the early 1900s and helped spawn other Baptist churches nearby. Restored in 1974, the building was deeded to the local cemetery association.
Why it matters
It captures how frontier churches served as both spiritual and educational anchors in newly settled Texas, often founded by veterans of the Texas Revolution.
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Related people
- · Rev. Anderson Buffington
Related events
- · Battle of San Jacinto
Themes & tags
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