First Baptist Church of Nacogdoches
Nacogdoches, Nacogdoches County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1884, the Baptist General Association of Texas sent Luther Rice Scruggs to start Baptist work in Nacogdoches, which was beginning to grow following the 1883 construction of the Houston, East and West Texas Railroad through the town. Before this, there was no Southern Baptist church in Nacogdoches. Scruggs began to hold services and by 1885, he and 13 charter members had organized a church. The next year, the congregation built a sanctuary on 411 North Street. Working with noted local architect, Diedrich Rulfs, members in 1899 replaced their first wood-frame building with a larger sanctuary that included Sunday School rooms and a Fellowship Hall below. In 1928, the church added a brick educational building and in 1942, members replaced the previous sanctuary and Fellowship Hall with a larger brick complex. From the beginning, members have been actively involved in the community cooperating with local Methodists to close several open saloons. The church has also stressed local missions, planting three which became established churches: Fredonia Hill Baptist Church in 1923, Memorial Baptist Church (now Iglesia Bautista Memorial) in 1948, and Calvary Baptist Church in 1956. The congregation has actively worked with Stephen F. Austin University since 1923 to establish and support a Baptist bible teacher position and a Baptist Student Union, a ministry that has continued to be important to the church through the years. Historically, members have also been active in mission activities outside of the local community. Today, as one of the oldest area congregations, First Baptist Church continues to serve as a spiritual leader in Nacogdoches. (2010)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When the railroad reached Nacogdoches in 1883, the Baptist General Association sent missionary Luther Rice Scruggs to organize a church, and by 1885 he and thirteen charter members had done so. The congregation raised successive sanctuaries—one designed by noted local architect Diedrich Rulfs—as it grew with the town, and it planted several daughter churches over the decades. Members long shaped community life, from closing saloons to supporting a Baptist ministry at Stephen F. Austin University from 1923 onward.
Why it matters
The church shows how the arrival of the railroad and organized missionary work spread new congregations across late-19th-century East Texas.
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Related people
- · Luther Rice Scruggs
- · Diedrich Rulfs
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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