Clearwater Baptist Church

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Clearwater Baptist Church, up in Franklin County. Settle in, because this one's got roots that go deep and a building that, well, had to come together piece by piece. Literally.

Way back in the mid-19th century, the folks who planted themselves in this part of Texas were working people. Sawmills humming, fields planted with corn, potatoes, cotton. The kind of life where the days are long and the community you build around you matters more than just about anything else.

It was 1869 when the Rev. Elisha Blanton and nine others decided that community needed a church. Not a grand building.

Not yet. They organized right there in somebody's home, a home sitting near a sawmill north of a place called Bethel. Ten people and a conviction.

That's how Clearwater Baptist Church began. Three years later, the congregation joined something bigger. The Rehoboth association, a network of Baptist churches spread across the area.

They weren't alone in the work anymore. Now, one of those members was a man named C. Henry Lennon, and Lennon wasn't just a churchgoer.

He owned the sawmill. After Blanton, Lennon stepped up as pastor. And when Lennon made the business decision, around 1875, to relocate that sawmill, the congregation followed right along.

Services moved into the home of E. Whittiker, near the Clearwater Cemetery, which sits about a mile and a tenth to the east. By 1880, they'd outgrown the parlor.

The congregation started meeting in the old Clearwater School, holding on there while they dreamed of something they could call their own. Then, in the summer of 1884, Isaac and Catherine Winkle conveyed one acre of land to Clearwater Baptist Church. One acre.

Enough ground to build something that would last. The first sanctuary went up on that acre in 1888. But records tell us it wasn't truly completed until 1902, and here's where the story gets a little unexpected.

It was the local Woodmen of the World lodge that came in, built a hall on the second floor, and helped finish what the congregation had started. A fraternal order helping raise a church. That's Franklin County for you.

Then the congregation built again. In 1917 and 1918, a new sanctuary rose up. It must have felt like a milestone.

And then, ten years later, fire took it. But a congregation that has followed a sawmill down the road, that has held services in homes and schoolhouses, that has waited fourteen years to finish its first building. That kind of congregation doesn't quit.

Reese and Flora Anderson Camp, and Arthur and Ada Camp Hawkins, went to work securing a church building from the Center Ridge Community. And in 1932, that building made its way to this site. Not all at once.

Piece by piece. They moved a church, piece by piece, and set it back down here. The dedicatory sermon was delivered in 1934.

And shortly after that, the community schoolhouse burned. The church, without missing much of a beat, opened its doors and provided classroom space for the children. Sawmill town.

One acre of donated land. A sanctuary completed with help from the Woodmen of the World. A building carried in by hand from somewhere else.

And through all of it, the Rehoboth association, and eventually the Smyrna association too, holding the congregation in a wider fellowship. Through revivals, youth ministries, and outreach programs, Clearwater Baptist Church has kept on supporting the lives of folks in Clearwater and the surrounding communities. Some things, it turns out, you just can't burn down.

What the marker says

Clearwater Baptist Church In the mid-19th century, early area settlers labored in sawmills and over crops, including corn, potatoes and cotton. In 1869, the Rev. Elisha Blanton and nine others organized a Baptist church in a home near a sawmill north of nearby Bethel. Three years later, the church joined the Rehoboth association, a network of area Baptist congregations. Church member, and owner of the sawmill, C. Henry Lennon served after Blanton as pastor of the congregation. When Lennon relocated the sawmill c. 1875, the church followed, holding services in the home of E. Whittiker, near the Clearwater Cemetery (1.1 mi. E). By 1880, the congregation was meeting in the old Clearwater School, which was used until they could build a sanctuary. In the summer of 1884, Isaac and Catherine Winkle conveyed one acre of land to Clearwater Baptist Church. On this acre, the first sanctuary was built in 1888. Records indicate it was not completed until 1902, when the local Woodmen of the World lodge built a hall on the second floor and helped complete the original structure. In 1917-18, the congregation built a new sanctuary; it was destroyed by fire ten years later. Reese and Flora Anderson Camp and Arthur and Ada Camp Hawkins helped secure from the Center Ridge Community a church building, which was moved to this site, piece by piece, in 1932. The dedicatory sermon was delivered in 1934. Shortly thereafter, the community schoolhouse burned, and the church provided classroom space. During its many years as a congregation, Clearwater Baptist Church has continued its association with the Rehoboth association, also affiliating with the Smyrna association. Periods of growth brought additional facilities and resources. Through its revivals, youth ministries and other outreach programs, the church has supported the lives of those in Clearwater and the surrounding communities. (2003)