First Baptist Church of Coldspring
Coldspring, San Jacinto County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Formally organized in 1848 in the small community known as "Fireman's Hill" (formerly "Coonskin"), Laurel Hill Baptist Church began with four members and the Rev. Joseph Warner Dossey Creath as its first pastor. The Rev. Mr. Creath came to Texas as a missionary for the Domestic Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention and later became a prominent figure among Texas Baptists. By 1850 the settlement was known as "Cold Springs." In 1853 several church members participated in the formation of an educational institution known as the Cold Springs Female College or Institute. Recognized as one of the early educational efforts of Texas Baptists, the school flourished for a short time. General James B. Davis (1790-1859), a friend of General Sam Houston and former adjutant general of the Republic of Texas Army, donated land for a church building, baptismal pool and cemetery. A small building was erected across from the cemetery in 1855. The Cold Springs Male and Female Academy, as it was called by 1861, closed with the advent of the Civil War. The church building served on that site until a fire ravaged the San Jacinto County Courthouse in 1915. By 1918 a new courthouse had been completed nearby. Homes, businesses and the Laurel Hill Baptist Church were moved to the new site. The church was destroyed by fire in 1950; a new structure built that same year was renamed First Baptist Church of Coldspring. Buildings were added to the church complex as necessary. The first Baptist Church of Coldspring continues a tradition of worship and service established by its founders. The congregation celebrated its 150th anniversary in 1998. (1999)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Formally organized in 1848 in a rough settlement once called 'Coonskin' and then 'Fireman's Hill,' Laurel Hill Baptist Church began with just four members under missionary pastor Joseph Warner Dossey Creath. General James B. Davis, a friend of Sam Houston, donated land for the church, its baptismal pool, and cemetery, and in 1853 members helped found the Cold Springs Female College — an early Texas Baptist school that closed with the coming of the Civil War. After fires, courthouse relocations, and rebuildings, the congregation was renamed First Baptist Church of Coldspring and marked its 150th anniversary in 1998.
Why it matters
The church's long arc — from a frontier settlement through an early Baptist women's college to a modern congregation — mirrors how faith and education anchored community life across East Texas.
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Related people
- · Joseph Warner Dossey Creath
- · James B. Davis
- · Sam Houston
Related events
- · Founding of Cold Springs Female College (1853)
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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The land beneath Coldspring began as a Mexican grant to Col. Robert Rankin, a veteran of the American Revolution. Its post office cycled through colorful names — "Coonskin," then "Fireman's Hill," and finally "Cold Springs" — before settling on the modern spelling in 1850. After fire destroyed the wooden courthouse in 1915, a stone replacement rose in 1918, and by 1923 most of the town had relocated up the hill to its present site. Early academies and an 1880 "Male and Female Institute" educated its children.
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