Douglassville Baptist Church
Douglassville, Cass County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This church was organized in 1869 by 14 charter members and two elders. Services of all faiths were generally held in a school building in that era. The congregation erected its first church building in 1870 with volunteer workers. That frame chapel with spire, once storm-damaged and rebuilt, was relocated in 1948 to join the present building as a fellowship hall. This church has never had more than 50 resident members, but has furnished Texas and the nation with numerous ministers, teachers, and business leaders.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Douglassville Baptist Church was organized in 1869 by fourteen charter members and two elders, in an era when congregations of every faith often shared a local schoolhouse. Volunteers raised its first frame chapel in 1870; storm-damaged and rebuilt, that building was moved in 1948 to serve as a fellowship hall beside the present church. Though the congregation never counted more than fifty resident members, it sent out a striking number of ministers, teachers, and business leaders across Texas and the nation.
Why it matters
It's testament to the outsized reach of a small rural church, which shaped far more lives than its modest membership might suggest.
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Themes & tags
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