Davilla Baptist Church

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Way out in Milam County, at a spot folks would come to know as Davilla, something was set in motion back in 1866. Four men, W.

Beasley, L. Williams, P. T.

Corneal, and E. Allison, came together at a place called Mumford Springs. They formed what they called a Presbytery, and out of that meeting rose the Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church.

Now that's a serious name for a serious purpose, and those four men meant every syllable of it. The congregation didn't have a building of their own right off. From 1868 to 1870, they held their services in the Davilla Methodist Church building.

Borrowing space, sharing ground, making it work. That's a particular kind of faith, the kind that doesn't wait for perfect conditions. Then in 1870, things changed.

The congregation purchased a town lot right there in Davilla. And the very next year, 1871, they raised up a sanctuary of their own. You can picture it, a new building on a new lot in a growing town, a congregation finding its footing.

The church took on a new name somewhere along the way too, the Baptist Church of Christ at Davilla, Texas. Long name, strong name. In those early years, baptisms didn't happen inside any building.

They took place in several nearby creeks. Out in the open, under the Texas sky. Then in the late 1870s, the congregation grew.

People from the area west of Davilla came in, and others who had been converted by an evangelist named Elder Penn joined up as well. By 1904, church records show the congregation had settled into the name it carries to this day: Davilla Baptist Church. Simple.

Rooted. Davilla Baptist Church. For many years, there was a tabernacle standing right next to the church building, and it became common ground for various local denominations who'd gather there for summer revivals.

Neighbors worshipping side by side, different names on the door but the same summer heat and the same hymns rising up. A baptistry was installed inside the sanctuary in 1955, bringing those baptisms in from the creeks at last. And then came February 16, 1992.

The congregation held their last Sunday School and their last church services in that original 1871 building. The very sanctuary their people had constructed more than a century before. Later that same year, a new sanctuary was completed at that same site.

Same ground, new walls, the story continuing. That congregation is still at it, still providing religious instruction, still serving the community. Started at Mumford Springs with four men and a purpose, and it never stopped moving forward.

What the marker says

A Presbytery consisting of W. Beasley, L. Williams, P. T. Corneal, and E. Allison met at Mumford Springs, Milam County, Texas (present day Davilla) to organize Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church in 1866. From 1868 to 1870 the congregation held services in the Davilla Methodist Church building. In 1870 the congregation purchased a town lot here in Davilla where they constructed a sanctuary in 1871. The congregation was subsequently renamed the Baptist Church of Christ at Davilla, Texas. Early baptisms took place in several nearby creeks. People from the area west of Davilla and others converted by evangelist Elder Penn joined the congregation in the late 1870s. Church records indicate that the congregation has been referred to as Davilla Baptist Church since 1904. For many years a tabernacle adjacent to the church building was used by various local denominations for summer revivals. A baptistry was installed in the sanctuary in 1955. On February 16, 1992, the congregation held their last Sunday School and church services in the original 1871 church building and later that year a new sanctuary was completed at this site. The church continues to provide religious instruction and serve the community with various programs and activities. Sesquicentennial of Texas Statehood 1845-1995