Leander Presbyterian Church
Leander, Williamson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Organized in 1857 by the Rev. R. M. Overstreet, this church was originally known as Pleasant Hill Presbyterian Church and was located in the town of Bagdad. When the new railroad bypassed Bagdad in 1882 and the town of Leander was founded on the rail line, the church members voted to move their congregation to the new town. A church building was erected in 1884, on land belonging to church member Sarah J. Walker, who deeded the property to church trustees in 1895. Many descendants of early members remain active in the life of the church.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Organized in 1857 by the Rev. R. M. Overstreet as Pleasant Hill Presbyterian Church, this congregation first worshipped in the town of Bagdad. When the railroad bypassed Bagdad in 1882 and the new town of Leander sprang up along the tracks, the members voted to follow, erecting a building in 1884 on land given by church member Sarah J. Walker. The church's move captures how the railroad reshaped the map of Central Texas.
Why it matters
The relocation of an entire congregation to chase the railroad shows how rail lines could pick winners and losers among frontier towns, draining old settlements and creating new ones overnight.
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Related people
- · Rev. R. M. Overstreet
- · Sarah J. Walker
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Leander United Methodist Church
Leander, TX
This Methodist congregation was organized around 1860 in Bagdad, a Williamson County community a mile to the west. Early worshipers met with circuit preachers and missionaries in a log schoolhouse and a Masonic hall until they built a sanctuary in 1879. When the railroad drew settlement to Leander in 1901, the church followed, and the old Bagdad sanctuary was moved to land deeded by Sarah J. Walker.
Leander
Leander, TX
Leander began as a relocation of the older town of Bagdad, founded in 1854, after the Austin & Northwestern Railroad bypassed the original site in 1882. A new town was platted along the rail line and named for railroad official Leander Brown, and homes and businesses simply picked up and moved to it. The post office followed in 1882, and the school that opened in 1893 grew into the county's largest district.
Bagdad Cemetery
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This burial ground opened in 1857 with the grave of three-year-old John Babcock, whose father later deeded the land to the community of Bagdad. Among its early graves lie a Civil War veteran and a colonel, marking a settlement that thrived until 1882, when the railroad ran instead through the new town of Leander and drew the living away. The two communities came to share the cemetery, which was enlarged in later decades.
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