Pleasant Grove Baptist Church
Houston County, Houston County, Texas
Marker Inscription
J.M. Russell, one of six original charter members, established this church in 1862. The congregation's first church structure, located about two miles west of here, was the site of Baptist Association organizational meetings in 1866. Fire destroyed the church building in 1866 and the structure that replaced it in 1907. A third church was built at this location in 1911. Originally called the Pleasant Grove Baptist Church of Christ, its name was changed for the second time in 1945 to the Pleasant Grove Baptist Church. It continues to serve the local community.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Founded in 1862 by a group that included charter member J.M. Russell, this Baptist congregation hosted regional Baptist association meetings just after the Civil War. Fire twice destroyed its buildings, in 1866 and again in 1907, but the congregation rebuilt each time, raising a church at this location in 1911. It has served the surrounding community continuously, taking its present name in 1945.
Why it matters
A congregation that weathered war and repeated fires shows the resilience of the rural church as a lasting anchor of East Texas community life.
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Related people
- · J.M. Russell
Themes & tags
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