First Baptist Church of Waxahachie
Waxahachie, Ellis County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Organized in 1861 by twelve citizens meeting in the Methodist church, the Baptist congregation elected W.H. Stokes as its first pastor. The group met in several locations until their first church building was completed in 1882. Several successive structures were built, and the present facilities were begun in 1949. The present sanctuary was dedicated in 1959. A part of Waxahachie history for over 125 years, the First Baptist Church has concentrated its efforts on Baptist missionary activities and community assistance projects. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986 Supplemental plaque: The church relocated in January 2019 after 137 years at the Rogers Street location.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1861, as the Civil War opened, a dozen Waxahachie residents gathered in the town's Methodist church to organize a Baptist congregation and call W.H. Stokes as their first pastor. For two decades the young fellowship met wherever it could until raising its first building in 1882, then rebuilt across the generations, dedicating the present sanctuary in 1959. For well over a century the church anchored its Rogers Street corner before relocating in 2019.
Why it matters
Frontier-era congregations like this one were the social and moral scaffolding of new Texas towns, binding scattered settlers into communities long before civic institutions caught up.
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Related people
- · W.H. Stokes
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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