First Baptist Church
Carrizo Springs, Dimmit County, Texas
Marker Inscription
First church built by Texas Baptists west of Nueces River. Organized May 27, 1878. Building constructed 1888-1891 on land donated by Levi and Matilda English. Designed by pastor, Rev. R. H. Brown. Congregation and other citizens furnished labor to burn brick and lime, haul the lumber from Cotulla, and put up the building. Of the seven charter members, two were former Methodists and one man was an ex-slave. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1966
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Organized in 1878, this was the first church raised by Texas Baptists west of the Nueces River, a frontier region still thinly settled after the Civil War. Between 1888 and 1891 the congregation built its home by hand on land donated by Levi and Matilda English, burning their own brick and lime and hauling lumber all the way from Cotulla. Among the seven charter members were two former Methodists and a man who had been enslaved, a small window onto the mixed community that built the young town.
Why it matters
The church shows how faith communities anchored newly settled frontier towns, and its charter roster, including a formerly enslaved man, reflects the reshaping of Southern society in the decades after emancipation.
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Related people
- · Levi English
- · Matilda English
- · Rev. R. H. Brown
Themes & tags
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