First Baptist Church of Bailey

Duane's take

The official marker for the First Baptist Church of Bailey tells it this way, and I'm just passing it along the road to you. On May 23, 1888, a small group of neighbors gathered at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Baywood Atkins.

Not at a church, mind you. Not at a courthouse. At somebody's house.

And what they gathered to do was decide whether they ought to have a church at all. With the help of Reverend J. L.

Mays and Reverend R. L. Pearce standing alongside them, those neighbors made it official.

Twelve charter members, signed on and committed. Mr. and Mrs. Baywood Atkins, of course, right there in their own home.

Mr. and Mrs. T. F.

Gray. Dr. A.

J. Ray. Mr. and Mrs.

Elijah H. Smith. Mrs.

Mary Branch Sisson. Mr. and Mrs. John Turner.

Charles T. Turner. And George Turner.

Twelve people saying: we're doing this. Now, they didn't have a building. So they did what folks do in Fannin County when they need a roof and a floor and a little bit of purpose.

They used the Portland schoolhouse. Once a month they'd gather there, and they called their congregation Corinth Baptist Church. That went on until 1890, when the church relocated to its present site in the town of Bailey.

The name changed with the move, becoming the First Baptist Church of Bailey. And because a young congregation in a small Texas town sometimes has to be practical, they shared a building with the local Masonic lodge. Two different kinds of brotherhood under one roof.

By 1912, the congregation was ready to build something of their own. Construction began on a new sanctuary, and in May of 1913 it was completed and dedicated. That building served the congregation until 1940, when a larger brick building was erected to take its place.

Each step a little bigger, a little more permanent, a little more planted in the soil of Bailey. A congregation that started with twelve people in a neighbor's parlor has been a part of Fannin County history for over one hundred years now. And according to the marker, it continues to be a vital part of the town of Bailey.

Twelve people showed up on a May morning in 1888, and something took root. That's the whole story. Sometimes that's enough.

What the marker says

On May 23, 1888, a small group of neighbors met together at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Baywood Atkins to discuss forming a Baptist church. Assisted by the Rev. J. L. Mays and the Rev. R. L. Pearce, a congregation was begun with twelve charter members: Mr. and Mrs. Baywood Atkins, Mr. and Mrs. T. F. Gray, Dr. A. J. Ray, Mr. and Mrs. Elijah H. Smith, Mrs. Mary Branch Sisson, Mr. and Mrs. John Turner, Charles T. Turner, and George Turner. The group first met in the Portland schoolhouse, and the congregation was named Corinth Baptist Church. Services were held in the schoolhouse once a month until 1890, when the church relocated to its present site in Bailey. The name was changed to First Baptist Church of Bailey, and the congregation shared a building with the local Masonic lodge. In 1912 the church began construction of a new sanctuary, which was completed and dedicated in May 1913. It was used until 1940, when a larger brick building was erected. Over the years, the First Baptist Church of Bailey has actively served its community. A part of Fannin County history for over one hundred years, the church continues to be a vital part of the town of Bailey.