First Baptist Church of Quitman
Quitman, Wood County, Texas
Marker Inscription
One of the earliest churches in Wood County. Organized Nov. 16, 1850, by pioneer settlers in a meeting moderated by a Cumberland Presbyterian, the Rev. Simon W. Weaver. Charter members included: Ursula Benton; M. M. and Mary Bigham; James, Robert, Silas, Mary A. L., and Elizabeth Duncan; Joseph, Alexander, and Martha Greer; Peter, Frances, and Mary Rozell; James N. Stedman; and John and Augusta Williams. Worship services were held in homes and open air in early days. A 2-story building with belfry was erected at College and Good streets in 1855 by the Presbyterians and Masons. In 1865 the Masons bought that building and made it available to all faiths until its razing in 1900. On same lot, Baptists and Masons erected another 2-story frame edifice. Under capable pastors, congregation grew. A 1929 building at Lane and College streets was replaced by the present plant in 1952. This bell (used from 1855 to 1929) is preserved as an historical relic. The pulpit here has been filled by notable guests, including the Rev. George W. Truett, world-renowned minister of Dallas. This is also noted as the home church of James Stephen Hogg (1851-1906), the first native-born Governor of Texas. (1970)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Organized on November 16, 1850 by pioneer settlers in a meeting moderated by a Cumberland Presbyterian minister, this was one of the earliest churches in Wood County. Early worship happened in homes and open air before shared frame buildings rose with the Masons, and its 1855 bell is preserved as a relic. The church counts among its own James Stephen Hogg, the first native-born governor of Texas, and once welcomed the renowned Dallas preacher George W. Truett to its pulpit.
Why it matters
A frontier congregation that shaped a future governor of Texas, the church links grassroots pioneer faith to the state's political and religious leadership.
The story behind this marker
AI contextThe era
In 1850, Wood County was brand new. Texas had joined the Union only five years before, and settlers from the older Southern states were moving into the pine and post-oak country of East Texas. They cleared land for farms, built log homes and, as quickly as they could, organized churches.
On the frontier, organized religion often came before buildings. Congregations met in homes or outdoors until they could afford a meeting house, and different groups frequently shared whatever building existed. Preachers of one denomination sometimes helped another get started, since a new congregation of any kind was a gain for a small community.
Masonic lodges were among the most important institutions in towns like Quitman. Masons often put up two-story buildings with the lodge hall upstairs and a room below for a church, school or public meeting. The shared buildings in this church's history grew out of that practical, cooperative frontier arrangement.
People & events
The church was organized on November 16, 1850, by a group of pioneer families. Fittingly for the frontier, the meeting was led not by a Baptist but by a Cumberland Presbyterian minister, the Rev. Simon W. Weaver. The marker lists the charter members by name, among them the Bighams, the Duncans, the Greers, the Rozells and the Williamses, a roll call of the families who planted this congregation.
In its early days the church met in homes and in the open air. In 1855, the Presbyterians and Masons built a two-story building with a belfry at College and Good streets. After the Masons bought it in 1865, it was open to all faiths until it was torn down in 1900. Baptists and Masons then built another two-story frame building on the same lot. The congregation later moved into a 1929 building at Lane and College streets, which was replaced in 1952. The bell rang from 1855 to 1929 and is now kept as a historical relic.
Two famous names are linked to the church. The Rev. George W. Truett, the Dallas minister who became one of the best-known Baptist preachers in the world, preached from its pulpit as a guest. And this was the home church of James Stephen Hogg, who went on to become the first native-born governor of Texas. Hogg spent part of his young adult life in Wood County, and he became known as governor in the 1890s for taking on powerful corporate interests, especially the railroads.
Its place in the American story
Churches like this one were at the heart of American frontier communities. As settlement pushed west, congregations gave scattered families a place to gather, a moral framework and often the first schools and public meeting spaces. The fact that Baptists, Presbyterians and Masons shared buildings here shows how cooperation made frontier towns work.
The church's connection to James Stephen Hogg links a small East Texas congregation to a major chapter in American political history. In the late nineteenth century, farmers across the country were angry about railroad rates and corporate power. Hogg's reform work in Texas, including the state's Railroad Commission, reflected those national concerns and belongs to the same era that produced the Populist movement and later Progressive reforms.
George W. Truett's visit is a reminder of how important Baptist churches became in Texas and across the South. Truett led First Baptist Church of Dallas for decades and was a nationally known voice, especially on religious liberty. A small-town pulpit that welcomed him shows how a local congregation was part of a much wider religious network.
If you visit
The highlight here is the old bell. It rang for about three-quarters of a century, calling Quitman to worship from 1855 to 1929, and seeing it up close connects you directly to the pioneer families who founded the church.
Take a walk to find the other places the marker mentions. The earlier shared buildings stood at College and Good streets, and the 1929 church was at Lane and College, so you can trace the congregation's history across a few blocks of this small East Texas town.
Quitman makes a good stop on a drive through the piney woods and lakes of East Texas, and it is an especially good fit for anyone interested in Governor Hogg, whose early life was tied to Wood County. Remember that this is an active congregation, so if you arrive during a service or event, be respectful of those gathered to worship.
Written by AI to add context, grounded in the marker’s inscription and the historical record. The inscription above is the original, unaltered text.
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Related people
- · James Stephen Hogg
- · George W. Truett
- · Simon W. Weaver
Themes & tags
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