Providence Baptist Church
Chappell Hill, Washington County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Founded May, 1842. Original site 2 1/2 mi. NW of Chappell Hill. Arm of church opened here in 1853. First building destroyed by storm. All of the congregation moved here in 1866. Present church erected in 1873.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Providence Baptist Church was founded in May 1842, in the days of the Republic of Texas, at a site a few miles northwest of Chappell Hill. An arm of the congregation opened here in 1853, and after the first building was destroyed by a storm the whole congregation relocated to this spot in 1866. The present church was erected in 1873.
Why it matters
Its founding in 1842 makes it a witness to the earliest years of Anglo settlement in Texas, when frontier congregations helped anchor new communities.
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Themes & tags
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