DeBerry Baptist Church

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll give it to you straight with a little soul. Way out in Panola County, there's a church with roots that go back before the guns of the Civil War ever fired. It started as the Bell-Fountain Baptist Church, a pioneer fellowship that gathered people together when this part of Texas was still finding its footing.

That congregation held on, held strong, held steady. Then came 1880. Fire took the Bell-Fountain Chapel.

Just like that, the building was gone. Now, you might think that's the end of the story. It is not.

That's barely the beginning. Out of the ashes of one congregation, two new ones took root. Members went separate ways and started Shady Grove on one hand, and DeBerry Baptist Church on the other.

For DeBerry to have a place to gather, somebody had to give something. That somebody was Holland Livingston Anderson, who donated the land for the very first DeBerry sanctuary. The first pastor to stand at that pulpit was the Reverend T.

A. Coleman. From that foundation, the church kept growin'.

Adjacent land was added. New facilities followed. The congregation kept reaching outward into the community it called home.

And here's the thing the marker wants you to carry down the road with you: for over a century, DeBerry Baptist Church has led in service work and community development. One fire, two congregations, and a hundred years of showing up for your neighbors. That's a Panola County story worth pullin' over for.

What the marker says

This fellowship grew from the pioneer Bell-Fountain Baptist Church, which was organized prior to the Civil War. After a fire destroyed the Bell-Fountain Chapel in 1880, members started two separate congregations: Shady Grove and DeBerry. Land for construction of the first DeBerry sanctuary was donated by Holland Livingston Anderson. The Rev. T. A. Coleman served as the first pastor. Adjacent land and new facilities were added later as the church grew. For over a century DeBerry Baptist Church has led in service work and community development.