First Presbyterian Church of Caldwell
Caldwell, Burleson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This congregation was organized by The Rev. Hugh Wilson, an early Presbyterian missionary noted for his active work on the Texas frontier. Although the first account of the church appears in an 1850 document, it is likely that the congregation was organized soon after the City of Caldwell was founded in 1840. During the 1880s, the congregation met in the Methodist Church building. A 1906 fire destroyed the Presbyterians' first sanctuary. The congregation is an important historic link to the early days of Burleson County and the beginning of the Presbyterian Church in Texas.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This Presbyterian congregation was gathered by the Rev. Hugh Wilson, a pioneering missionary who carried his faith across the rough Texas frontier. Though the first surviving record dates to 1850, the church likely formed soon after Caldwell itself was founded in 1840, and in the 1880s its members worshiped in the local Methodist building. A fire destroyed their first sanctuary in 1906, but the congregation endured as a link to the earliest days of Burleson County.
Why it matters
It represents the frontier missionary effort that planted enduring institutions in the young Republic of Texas.
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Related people
- · Hugh Wilson
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
First Baptist Church
Caldwell, TX
Founded as Dove Church in 1843 in the home of Laban Rice, this congregation was organized by noted frontier ministers R. E. B. Baylor and Noah Byars, the latter serving as first pastor. Among those ordained here was the influential Rev. B. H. Carroll; after several sanctuaries, two lost to fire, the present building rose in 1928-29.
First United Methodist Church of Caldwell
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Caldwell Volunteer Fire Department
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