First Baptist Church of Lavon
Lavon, Collin County, Texas
Marker Inscription
For years, Baptists in the Lavon area worshipped in the two-story Lavon School House, alternating Sundays with the Presbyterian, Methodist and Assembly of God congregations. The First Baptist Church of Lavon was organized on September 25, 1949, but the history of the church began with three other rural churches. Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church (1857-1882) was built on the side of a hill near the Abston Cemetery and grew under the leadership of Rev. J.B. Daniel (1838-1884). A few years after Rev. Daniel's ministry ended in 1877, the church divided for geographic reasons. Some members organized a church south of Nevada called South Church, or Pleasant Hill Baptist Church (1882-1947), which prospered and established a cemetery. In 1889, another Baptist Church formed near Farmersville named Spring Hill Baptist Church (1888-1948). In the 1940s, both churches fell on hard times and closed, with Spring Hill transferring its church building to the Collin County Baptist Association. In cooperation with the association, the First Baptist Church of Lavon was organized in 1949 with 25 charter members. A church was built using the lumber from the Pleasant Hill Baptist Church and Spring Hill Baptist Church. The pews and piano came from Spring Hill church, as well as the old pulpit that was used for many years. The first revival was held in 1950, a tradition that continued for many years. The church building was officially dedicated on May 27, 1951, with sermons by three pastors. The church continued to grow and add to its campus with a parsonage, education building and education activity center. Through school sponsorships and events, hosting Vacation Bible School and offering programs such as Royal Ambassadors, Women's Ministry Union, Girls' Auxiliary and youth groups, the church has continued its strong heritage of community involvement. (2020)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Long before it had a building of its own, the Baptist congregation in Lavon shared the two-story schoolhouse with Presbyterians, Methodists, and Pentecostals, taking turns on alternating Sundays. Formally organized in 1949, the First Baptist Church of Lavon grew from the memory of three vanished country churches reaching back to 1857, and members raised their sanctuary using salvaged lumber, pews, and even the old pulpit from those closed congregations.
Why it matters
The church's story traces how scattered rural Texas congregations merged and endured across a century, keeping faith and community continuity alive through generations of hardship and change.
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Related people
- · J.B. Daniel
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Lavon
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Drawn by the rich Blackland Prairie soil and Bear Creek's water, settlers reached the Lavon area in the 1850s, and the town proper took root when the railroad arrived in 1886. Originally called Thompson or Thompson Switch after early postmaster and merchant Elbert Thompson, it was renamed Lavon for his son to avoid confusion with another town. WPA crews built a school here in the late 1930s, and in the 1950s Lavon Dam turned the area into a fishing and boating retreat—one restaurant even appeared in the 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde.
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