First Baptist Church of Terrell
Terrell, Kaufman County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The Rev. J. B. Daniel (d. 1884) organized this church in 1876 and served as its first pastor. The congregation started with 13 members, who met once a month for services. The first church building was a small frame structure erected on this block in 1879. The Women's Missionary Society, established the same year, continues to serve this fellowship today. In 1905 a new brick sanctuary was built. The stained glass windows from it were transferred to the present church building, completed in 1956. Membership in this congregation has steadily grown to its current (1975) total of about 850.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The Rev. J. B. Daniel organized First Baptist Church of Terrell in 1876 with just 13 members, who met monthly for worship, and served as its first pastor. A small frame building went up on this block in 1879, the same year the enduring Women's Missionary Society was founded. A brick sanctuary followed in 1905, and its stained glass was carried into the present building completed in 1956, by which time membership had grown to about 850.
Why it matters
The church's growth from a dozen worshippers to a large congregation mirrors the way faith communities helped anchor and expand small Texas towns after the Civil War.
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Related people
- · J. B. Daniel
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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Opened in 1904 through the determined efforts of local women's clubs and a building grant from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, this was the only library in Kaufman County. It became a hub of community life, hosting early civic functions and serving as an information center for students from five area colleges. Its shelves grew to hold more than 14,000 volumes.
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When Andrew Carnegie's philanthropy was seeding public libraries across America, the women's clubs of Terrell secured a grant to bring one to their North Texas town, opening this classically detailed building in 1904. It rose on land once owned by local publisher O. B. Colquitt, who would go on to serve as governor of Texas, and was designed by the Waco firm of Messer and Smith. The city funded operations while Carnegie money paid for the building itself.
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