San Marcos Primitive Baptist Church
Luling, Guadalupe County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The San Marcos Primitive Baptist Church, so named because of its proximity to the San Marcos River, was organized in 1853 at the home of George Daniels, who also served as the congregation's first pastor. The five charter members of the church were William Baker, Vashti Baker, Hannah Daniels, I. D. Owen, and Sylvanna Daniels. George Daniels served as pastor until 1862, when James Milton Baker (1831-1910) began his 48-year service as minister of the San Marcos church. A native of Alabama, Baker was the son of charter members William and Vashti Baker. The family had come from Alabama to Texas in 1852 and had settled in this area during the following year. The first church building and early records of the church were destroyed in a flash flood that probably occurred in 1869 or 1870, but the congregation continued to meet. In 1886, J. M. Baker deeded land at this site for the church and cemetery. In 1930 the San Marcos Primitive Baptist Church moved to Luling (3 mi. E) but continued to meet here occasionally until 1970. This historic site serves as reminder of the heritage of the Luling congregation. (1985)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Organized in 1853 in the home of pastor George Daniels, the San Marcos Primitive Baptist Church took its name from the nearby river and gathered just five charter members. When Daniels stepped down in 1862, James Milton Baker began a remarkable forty-eight-year ministry that carried the congregation through a flash flood that destroyed its first building and early records. Baker deeded land here in 1886, and the church endured on this spot before moving to Luling in 1930.
Why it matters
The site preserves the deep roots of a rural congregation that outlasted floods and generations to anchor a Central Texas farming community.
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Related people
- · George Daniels
- · James Milton Baker
Themes & tags
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