Original Site of First Baptist Church of Austin
Austin, Travis County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The Rev. R. H. Taliaferro of Kentucky organized the First Baptist Church in July 1847. Worship services were first held in the Capitol and later moved to a frame building at 12th and Lavaca. The congregation met in the 700 block of Congress Avenue until it built its first sanctuary at this site in 1857. The structure was remodeled in the 1880s. A larger brick church was constructed here in 1916. It was razed when the congregation moved to 9th and Trinity in 1970. Many governors, state officials, and prominent Austin families worshiped at this location. (1985)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The First Baptist Church of Austin was organized in July 1847 by the Rev. R. H. Taliaferro, worshiping at first inside the Capitol and in borrowed frame buildings in the young frontier capital. The congregation built its first sanctuary on this site in 1857, remodeled it in the 1880s, and replaced it with a larger brick church in 1916. Many governors and prominent Austin families worshiped here before the congregation moved in 1970.
Why it matters
Founded when Austin was a raw frontier capital, the church traces the growth of religious and civic life alongside the city and the state it served.
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Related people
- · R. H. Taliaferro
Themes & tags
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