East Shady Grove Baptist Church

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Out here in Fannin County, there's a story that starts the way a lot of good Texas stories start: with a handful of determined people, a borrowed room, and a plan. October 26, 1884.

Eighteen members gathered at a nearby school, not a church building, not a fancy hall, just a school, and they set about organizing a missionary Baptist church. Eighteen people. You might not think that's a crowd, but eighteen people with a shared purpose can move mountains, and apparently, they could build a congregation too.

They called it East Shady Grove Baptist Church. T. P.

Reece stepped up as the first pastor, the first of what would eventually become twenty-five pastors to serve this church. Twenty-five. That's a long line of men who answered a calling and stood at that pulpit.

The congregation didn't waste any time getting organized, either. By February 22, 1885, they had founded a Sunday School, giving the community's children a place to learn and grow alongside the church itself. Now, a congregation can run for years without a permanent home, meeting wherever they can find space, making do.

But on July 16, 1911, East Shady Grove Baptist Church dedicated its present church building. After years of faithful gatherin', they finally had a place of their own to call home. Eighteen members and a borrowed schoolroom.

That's where it all began.

What the marker says

Organized Oct. 26, 1884, by 18 members who met at nearby school to found a missionary Baptist church. T. P. Reece was the first of 25 pastors here. The Sunday School was founded Feb. 22, 1885. Dedication of present church was July 16, 1911.