Bethel Baptist Church
Livingston, Polk County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Built 1901 for congregation organized Jan. 6, 1849, by Rev. J.W.D. Creath, among settlers from Louisiana. Membership in early days included the family slaves. First church, located at Colita, an early Polk County town, was moved in 1872 to Bold Springs. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1966
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Organized in 1849 by a Baptist minister among settlers newly arrived from Louisiana, this congregation took root in antebellum Polk County, its early rolls including the enslaved members of settler families. Its first meeting house stood at the vanished town of Colita before being moved to Bold Springs in 1872, and the present building went up in 1901. The church's long migration traces the shifting geography of East Texas settlement.
Why it matters
Its history—including enslaved worshippers on the early membership rolls—preserves the entangled story of faith, slavery, and community on the antebellum Texas frontier.
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Related people
- · J.W.D. Creath
Themes & tags
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