Black Jack Baptist Church

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll pass it along just the same. Way out in Burleson County, there's a congregation with a story that spans the better part of a century, and it starts, as so many good things do, with neighbors helpin neighbors. The Liberty Baptist Church, already established, already rooted, decided to sponsor the founding of a brand new congregation right there in the community.

And so, in May of 1885, Black Jack Baptist Church came to life, with seventeen charter members ready to make it real. They called James G. Cooper to serve as the first pastor, and that right there was the beginning of something that would outlast wars and quiet spells and everything in between.

Now, they needed a place to meet, and they made do with what they had. The community schoolhouse opened its doors, and for nearly a decade that schoolhouse doubled as a house of worship. Then, in 1894, they built their own sanctuary, right here at this site.

A proper place. Their place. In 1909, Black Jack Baptist Church added a Sunday School program, growing, tending to the next generation the way a church is supposed to do.

But history doesn't let anything run smooth forever. The membership disbanded during the World War II years. And then, as if once wasn't enough, it disbanded again in the late 1960s.

Two separate silences, two separate trials. And yet, the marker is standing. The story is being told.

Because however quiet it got, Black Jack Baptist Church remains an important part of the religious heritage of Burleson County. Some things are just too deep in the ground to be pulled up entirely.

What the marker says

The founding of this congregation was sponsored by the neighboring Liberty Baptist Church. Organized in May 1885 with 17 charter members, the church called James G. Cooper to serve as its first pastor. The community schoolhouse served as a meeting place until 1894, when a sanctuary was constructed at this site. Black Jack Baptist Church began a Sunday School program in 1909. Although the membership disbanded during the World War II years and again in the late 1960s it is an important part of the religious heritage of Burleson County. (1985)