First Baptist Church of Longview
Longview, Gregg County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This congregation has been in continuous existence since 1871, when fifteen people led by the Rev. D. S. Snodgrass gathered together to form a new church. In 1874 the Texas and Pacific Railway Company deeded two town lots to the Baptist church at the corner of Fredonia and South streets. The first sanctuary, a small frame building, was erected late that year. Also in 1874, the congregation called its first full-time pastor, the Rev. dr. A. Eagan Clemmons. Over the years, the church purchased additional property adjacent to its original two lots. As the congregation grew, more church buildings were erected and later replaced with larger structures. A red brick sanctuary which replaced the original frame structure in 1901 was in turn replaced by a larger building in 1914. continued expansion led to further building programs over the years. In addition to serving its own members, the First Baptist Church has been instrumental in establishing new congregations in the community, including Northside Baptist Church, Valley View Baptist Church, Moberly Avenue Baptist Church, and Oakland Heights Baptist Church. It continues to serve the community with a variety of religious and educational programs.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This congregation has met continuously since 1871, when fifteen people led by the Rev. D. S. Snodgrass formed a church. In 1874 the Texas and Pacific Railway deeded it two town lots, where it raised its first frame sanctuary and called its first full-time pastor. As Longview grew, larger brick sanctuaries followed, and the church helped establish several other congregations in the community.
Why it matters
Founded on lots given by the railroad, it embodies how rail companies deliberately seeded churches and towns along their expanding lines.
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Related people
- · D. S. Snodgrass
- · A. Eagan Clemmons
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Dalton Gang's Last Raid
Longview, TX
On May 23, 1894, outlaw Bill Dalton led his gang into Longview and presented a note demanding money at the First National Bank, triggering a furious gunfight as Sheriff Jack Howard, City Marshal Mat Muckleroy, and armed citizens fought back. Three local men and one outlaw were killed, and the gang fled into Oklahoma with two bank officers briefly held hostage. Forged $20 notes later led lawmen to the surviving raiders.
O. H. Methvin, Sr., Founder of Longview
Longview, TX
O. H. Methvin (1815–1882) came to Texas from Georgia around 1848 and bought some 1,200 acres of East Texas, including a cornfield on this site. In 1870 he deeded 100 acres to the Southern Pacific Railroad, and the town that grew along the line was named Longview for the sweeping view surveyors admired from nearby Rock Hill. When Gregg County formed in 1873, Longview became its county seat, a city born from one landowner's gift to the railroad.
F. L. Whaley House
Longview, TX
Built in 1871 for hardware merchant Franklin L. Whaley and his wife Mary Caroline Rogers, this was among the earliest homes in Longview, its lumber cut right on the site. The central-hall house shows off the era's craftsmanship — gabled pavilions, three dormers above the front porch, fine milled woodwork, and elaborate jigsawn railings. Five generations of the Whaley family have called it home.
O. H. Methvin
Longview, TX
Georgia-born O. H. Methvin came to Texas around 1848 with his wife Margaret and his father, settling on land in what was then Upshur County. In 1870 he gave 100 acres to the Southern Pacific Railroad, an act that founded the city of Longview; three years later it became the seat of the newly organized Gregg County. Methvin's land gift turned a railroad stop into a county town.