First Baptist Church of Mart
Mart, McLennan County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The Rev. Thomas D. Suttle (1840-1900) and 18 Baptists assembled on April 28, 1878, under a large elm tree at the present site of Mart City Cemetery (1 mi. SE). There they organized the first church in the town of Mart, originally named Willow Springs. Near the tree, the fellowship built a church which also served as a schoolhouse. Burials in the adjacent cemetery began in 1880. During the pastorate of the Rev. B.F. Tatum (1853-1928), 1889-96 and 1899-1900, membership almost quadrupled. In 1893 the church moved to Navarro Avenue and in 1906 to the present location. (1977)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In April 1878, a minister and eighteen Baptists gathered beneath a large elm tree at what is now the Mart City Cemetery to organize the first church in the settlement then called Willow Springs. The fellowship built a church near the tree that also served as a schoolhouse, and burials in the adjacent cemetery began in 1880. Under a long-serving pastor its membership nearly quadrupled, and the congregation moved twice more before settling at its present home in 1906.
Why it matters
From a gathering under an elm tree to a town's first church and school, this congregation embodies how faith, education, and community took shape together on the Texas prairie.
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Related people
- · Thomas D. Suttle
- · B. F. Tatum
Themes & tags
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