First Baptist Church of Fort Davis
Fort Davis, Jeff Davis County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The Rev. L. R. Millican and the Rev. D. B. Rose established this church in 1896 with six charter members. Services were held on alternate Sundays in churches shared with the Methodist and Presbyterian congregations until 1921 when the Baptists acquired a former skating rink/theater. A more traditional church building was erected in 1942. The congregation sponsored two mission churches and several missionaries in Mexico and is active in community activities. The church has served the area for more than 100 years. (1997)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Reverends L. R. Millican and D. B. Rose gathered six charter members into this Baptist congregation in 1896, high in the mountains of far West Texas near Fort Davis. For years the Baptists shared buildings with local Methodists and Presbyterians, worshiped in a converted skating rink and theater, and finally raised a traditional church in 1942. The congregation sent missionaries into Mexico and remained woven into community life for more than a century.
Why it matters
Small frontier congregations like this one anchored community and continuity in isolated Western settlements where a church was often the first shared institution.
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Related people
- · L. R. Millican
- · D. B. Rose
Themes & tags
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