Pine Valley Cemetery and Missionary Baptist Church
Coldspring, San Jacinto County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The organizational meeting for this church was held about 1868 in the smokehouse of David Pursley. The earliest sanctuary was a log building constructed by the members, and the Rev. Lewin Adams (1822-1899), who is buried here, served as the first pastor. The community burial ground also served the pioneer settlers of the area. The earliest marked grave is that of Susan Henley Irby (1825-1878) who died here while on a visit from Mississippi. An early member of the Tryon Baptist Association, the church celebrates homecoming here each May.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Pine Valley's congregation first gathered around 1868 in David Pursley's smokehouse, then built a log sanctuary with the Rev. Lewin Adams as its first pastor. The adjoining burial ground served the area's pioneer families, and its oldest marked grave belongs to a Mississippi visitor who died here in 1878. An early member of the Tryon Baptist Association, the church still holds its homecoming each May.
Why it matters
Church and cemetery together record how faith and kinship rooted scattered settlers into a lasting rural community.
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Related people
- · Lewin Adams
- · David Pursley
- · Susan Henley Irby
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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