Walker County History

Presented by the Walker County Historical Commission

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The Commission

Walker County Historical
Commission
1301 Sam Houston Ave.
Rm. 218
Huntsville, TX 77340
(Courthouse Annex)

Telephone

(936) 435-2497

WCHC Online

Send Email

Meetings

3rd Monday of each month
5:30 P.M.
(except June & August)
Walker County Museum

Museum

Gibbs-Powell Home
1228 11 St. at Avenue M
Huntsville, TX

Hours

Tues-Fri 12-5 PM
Sat 12-4 PM
Commission meetings,
and by appointment

Telephone

‭(936) 435-2497‬
(936) 291-9726

Tours

(936) 291-5931
(Statue Visitors Center)

Historical Markers in Walker County

The First Baptist Church Historical Marker

The First Baptist Church

One of the earliest Baptist congregations in Texas, this church was organized in 1844 by The Rev. Z. N. Morrell, who served as first pastor. The Rev. J. W. D. Creath, a missionary from Virginia, was the second, and The Rev. G. W. Baines, known now as an ancestor of U.S. President Lyndon Baines Johnson, was the third. General Sam Houston, ex-president of the Republic of Texas, was a member. The congregation dedicated its first church building in 1851; it was on this site. A bell added in the 1850s became a pride of the city. This church hosted the Baptist State Convention five times in the 1850s and 60s. One of the first regular Sunday schools in Texas functioned here by 1864. Blacks in the membership requested and received letters of dismission in 1868, to organize a church of their own. After Sam Houston Normal Institute (now Sam Houston State University) was established in 1879, many of its people came to augment the leadership in this church. The congregation has erected houses of worship in 1891, 1924, and 1954. Throughout its history, it has promoted and financed mission work, and has helped to organize and encourage other congregations.


Location: 1229 Avenue J, Huntsville
GPS Coordinates: 30.721933, -095.5487
Access: Public

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