First Baptist Church of Lufkin
Lufkin, Angelina County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Chartered with nine members, the Lufkin Baptist Church began conducting worship services soon after rail lines reached the townsite in the early 1880s. The Houston, East & West Texas Railroad donated land at this site to Joseph Kerr, E. H. F. McMullen, and W. L. Denman, church trustees. The first sanctuary was built in 1893, during the pastorate of the Rev. W. C. Manning. A leader in mission development and in the support of Christian education, the First Baptist Church has played an important role in the growth of Lufkin since the earliest days of the town. (1985)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When the railroad reached the raw townsite of Lufkin in the early 1880s, a Baptist congregation of just nine members organized to serve the new East Texas community. The railroad itself donated the land, and the first sanctuary rose in 1893. From its earliest days the church anchored the growing town and championed missions and Christian education.
Why it matters
The story of this congregation shows how churches followed the rails into freshly platted railroad towns, becoming the first institutions to knit scattered settlers into a community.
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Related people
- · W. C. Manning
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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