First Baptist Church of Barksdale
Barksdale, Edwards County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The Barksdale Baptist Church became the first Baptist church in the community in 1883 with a membership of nineteen. Traditionally, baptisms have been held at the nearby Nueces River Crossing. A frame sanctuary on this site served the needs of the church from 1906 until it was replaced by this structure in 1943. H.L. Wood of Barksdale began construction of the building, which was completed by congregation members. The rectangular plan, front-gabled church with covered entry features a native stone veneer, exposed rafter ends and double-hung wood windows. An original bell tower was later removed. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2008
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Founded in 1883 with nineteen members, the Barksdale Baptist Church was the first Baptist congregation in this remote Edwards County community, and for generations its baptisms were held at the nearby Nueces River crossing. A frame sanctuary of 1906 served until this native-stone building replaced it in 1943, begun by a local builder and finished by the congregation itself. Its simple front-gabled form, stone veneer, and exposed rafter ends reflect the hand-built churches of the Texas Hill Country.
Why it matters
The church records the endurance of faith and community on the Texas frontier, where settlers raised their own sanctuaries with local stone and their own hands.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- · H.L. Wood
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Clark Family Cemetery
Rio Frio, TX
In 1887 newlyweds Joseph and Annie Clark bought this Hill Country land from Annie's father, beginning a family story marked by a haunting coincidence. Joseph died in a 1901 wagon accident on a nearby curve; Annie later married his brother David, who was killed on the very same curve decades later. Annie was buried between her two husbands in the family plot that still holds their kin.
Real County
Leakey, TX
In the rugged canyon country of the Edwards Plateau, the settlement of Leakey straddled a county line, forcing residents to trek over mountains and rivers to conduct official business after the county seat moved to Rocksprings in 1891. After a rejected 1895 petition, the legislature finally created a new county in 1913—named, by amendment, for rancher and senator Julius Real. Farming and ranching sustained a rural way of life until highways arrived in the 1930s and, later, tourism and hunting reshaped the local economy.
Real County Courthouse
Leakey, TX
When Real County was carved from neighboring counties in 1913 and named for rancher and state senator Julius Real, its residents wrangled for years over where to seat the government. Judge D. D. Thompson pushed for a permanent courthouse, and in 1918 architect H. A. Reuter's Classical Revival design rose from native limestone quarried nearby at Tucker Hollow. Its rusticated, fortress-like walls still anchor the square in Leakey.
Leakey Cemetery
Leakey, TX
Dating to at least 1881 and once known as the Floral Cemetery, this burial ground sits on land John and Nancy Leakey sold for a dollar and a cemetery plot. Its oldest documented graves are those of Sara Catherine McLaurin and fifteen-year-old Allen Lease, killed in April 1881 in what is remembered as the last Indian raid in the Frio Canyon area. Among more than 900 burials lie pioneers, Civil War veteran John Colter Brice, elected officials, and countless children lost to measles, typhoid, diphtheria, and influenza.