Site of Concord Baptist Church
Rye, Liberty County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Organized May 24, 1845 with the following members: Nancy Lea, Margaret Houston, Antoinette L. Bledsoe, Joseph L. Ellis, Benjamin F. Ellis, Archer B. Worsham and B. F. Brown, pastor - - It sent delegates to the Baptist State Convention organized September 8, 1848 at Anderson, Texas - General Sam Houston attended services here. Erected by the State of Texas 1936
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Concord Baptist Church was organized on May 24, 1845, with a small band of charter members in the earliest days of Texas statehood. It sent delegates to the Baptist State Convention founded in 1848 at Anderson, marking its place in the state's organized Baptist life. General Sam Houston, whose mother-in-law Nancy Lea and wife Margaret were among the founders, is recorded as having attended services here.
Why it matters
Its ties to Sam Houston and the founding of Texas Baptist institutions link a rural Liberty County congregation to the larger story of the early Texas republic and statehood.
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Related people
- · Sam Houston
- · Margaret Houston
- · Nancy Lea
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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Polk County was carved from Liberty County and organized in July 1846, with Livingston as its seat, in the first months after Texas joined the Union. It was named for President James K. Polk, whose administration championed the annexation of Texas. Early settlements clustered at river landings like Drew's Landing and Swartout, and on land granted by the state in 1854 the descendants of the Alabama Indians still make their home.
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Edward Thomas Branch
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