Early Church

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. On March 8, 1845, a man named John C. Caskey put pen to paper and gave a piece of land, right here in Williamson County, for a cemetery and a meeting house.

Now that's the kind of gift that tends to outlast the giver. And sure enough, what rose up on that land was something worth remembering. A native stone structure, two stories tall, built before 1855, financed by a pair of names the marker wants you to know: J.

W. Atkinson and Dr. O.

Benedict. Two stories of solid stone, and every one of those stories was being put to use. Under that one roof, at one time or another, you had a school for the children, Baptist worship services, Methodist worship services, and on top of all that, both the Masonic lodge and the Odd Fellows lodge holding their meetings.

Think about that for a moment. One building, one community, and apparently they had enough going on to keep every floor busy. That era didn't believe in wasted square footage.

Then came 1924. The Primitive Baptists purchased the building, took ownership of all that stone and history, and the place carried on. But 1950 brought change.

An extensive remodeling came through, and when it was done, that two-story structure had been reduced to one. Half the height, and every bit as much history. Some buildings just keep finding ways to stay standing.

What the marker says

On land given March 8, 1845, by John C. Caskey for cemetery and meeting house. Originally 2-story, the native stone structure is believed to have been built before 1855, financed by J. W. Atkinson and Dr. O. Benedict. in that era it housed a school, Baptist and Methodist worship services, and Masonic and Odd Fellows lodges. It was purchased in 1924 by Primitive Baptists and reduced to one story in an extensive remodeling in 1950. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1970