First Baptist Church of McKinney at Drexel Street
McKinney, Collin County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This congregation was organized in April 1882 under the direction of the Rev. A.R. Griggs. Originally known as the Second Baptist Church, the fellowship conducted early worship services under a brush arbor. Land at this site was deeded to church trustees in 1893 by T.J. Brown and James W. Throckmorton, a former Texas governor. The first sanctuary was built here the following year. Active in community service and in the ordination of ministers, the congregation has played a major role in the development of the area for over a century. (1982)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Organized in April 1882 under the Rev. A. R. Griggs, this fellowship began as the Second Baptist Church, worshipping in the open air beneath a brush arbor. In 1893 church trustees received land here from T. J. Brown and former Texas governor James W. Throckmorton, and the first sanctuary went up the next year. For well over a century the congregation has ordained ministers and served the growing community of McKinney.
Why it matters
Congregations gathering under brush arbors before they could afford a building were foundational to community life across the settling Texas frontier.
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Related people
- · A. R. Griggs
- · James W. Throckmorton
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Site of Elm Saloon
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First United Methodist Church of McKinney
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Old Collin County Courthouse
McKinney, TX
Collin County was carved from Fannin County in 1846 and named for Collin McKinney, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. After the county seat moved to a more central site donated by William and Margaret Davis, the growing town of McKinney replaced two wooden courthouses with this substantial stone building, completed in 1876 to a design by Sherman architect Charles Wheeler and celebrated with a grand ball. Enlarged in the 1920s and used as a courthouse until 1979, it endures as a symbol of the county's early growth.
Collin County
McKinney, TX
Carved from Fannin County and created in April 1846, Collin County was named for Collin McKinney — land surveyor, signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, and member of the Congress of the Republic of Texas. The county seat began at Buckner in 1846 before moving to the town of McKinney, also named for him, two years later. The county was organized in the same summer it was created, just as Texas was joining the United States.