Cottonwood Baptist Church
Scurry, Kaufman County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The Rev. A. M. K. Sowell served as the first pastor for this congregation, organized in 1880. Worship services were held in a log building constructed on land donated for community use by C. L. Tippett and J. W. Swayze. Members shared the facility with other area congregations and the Cottonwood School. The church moved with the school when a new structure was completed in 1903. The present sanctuary, built in 1916, is also located on property deeded by Tippett. Homecoming activities, which were begun in 1936, are held here each June.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Organized in 1880 under its first pastor, the Rev. A. M. K. Sowell, this Baptist congregation began worshiping in a simple log building on land donated for community use. For years the church, school, and neighboring congregations shared the same modest quarters, moving together as the community grew. The present sanctuary dates to 1916, and a June homecoming tradition has drawn members back since 1936.
Why it matters
Frontier churches like this doubled as schoolhouses and civic centers, binding scattered rural families into a community long before towns had any other public buildings.
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Related people
- · A. M. K. Sowell
- · C. L. Tippett
- · J. W. Swayze
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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