Acton Baptist Church (First Baptist Church of Acton)

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Acton Baptist Church: so hold on, because this one's got a name worth savoring right from the jump. Now, it's 1855, and a man by the name of the Reverend Joseph Robinson is riding into Acton. But nobody called him Joseph.

They called him Fighting Joe. Fighting Joe Robinson. You don't earn a name like that by being forgettable, and sure enough, Fighting Joe wasn't.

He gathered up approximately twenty charter members and organized a Baptist congregation right there in Acton, Hood County, Texas. Twenty souls. That's where it started.

He was followed (as the great ones often are) by the Reverend James Halford. Now, here's where you lean in a little closer. James Halford was the son-in-law of David Crockett.

David Crockett, whose family lived in this very vicinity. That lineage didn't just pass through Acton; it put down roots here. For many years, the local Baptists shared a structure called the Long House with other denominations.

Shared pews, shared walls, shared Sundays. That's a particular kind of patience, and they practiced it for a good long while. But in 1894, the members built their own sanctuary.

It's been altered over the years, as buildings tend to be, but it is still standing and still used today. There's something quietly stubborn about that. And the congregation didn't stop at its own four walls.

Over the years, Acton Baptist Church (now carrying the name First Baptist Church of Acton) sponsored the establishment of new churches, provided leadership for local missions, reached out into the community, and did the steady, unglamorous work of Baptist Association life. Fighting Joe Robinson lit a fire with twenty people in 1855. A century and a half later, that fire is still burning.

Some things, it turns out, just don't go out.

What the marker says

In 1855, the Rev. Joseph "Fighting Joe" Robinson led approximately 20 charter members in organizing a Baptist congregation in Acton. He was followed by the Rev. James Halford, son-in-law of David Crockett, whose family lived in this vicinity. Local Baptists shared a structure known as the Long House with other denominations for many years; members built their own sanctuary in 1894. Although altered, it is still used today. Over the years, Acton Baptist Church, now First Baptist Church, has sponsored the establishment of new churches and provided leadership for local missions, community outreach and Baptist Association work. (2005)