First Baptist Church of Celeste

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker says about the First Baptist Church of Celeste, out there in Hunt County. Now settle in, because this story starts the same year the town itself started, which is about as close to the beginning as you can get. The year was 1887, and the Santa Fe Railroad had just platted the town of Celeste.

Four charter members, just four, got together and organized the First Baptist Church of Celeste. The town was barely a thought on paper, and these folks were already building something meant to last. They called the Reverend Jim Price as their first pastor, and the congregation put up a two-story building on South Third Street.

That building did double duty, serving the church and the local Masonic Lodge under the same roof. Now, a two-story building pulling that kind of weight, you might figure it had a long run ahead of it. And you would be wrong.

In 1907, that building was destroyed by fire. Gone. But here is where you learn something about a congregation that started with four people in a brand-new railroad town.

They did not move on. They built larger, on the same site, and by 1910 that new structure was completed. Sixty years later, in 1970, a new sanctuary went up on the corner of Third and Cockrell streets.

Four charter members, one fire, two buildings, a new sanctuary, and a town that grew up right alongside all of it. The marker says this church has been part of Celeste history for over a century, and friend, that math started with just four people who showed up in 1887 and decided to stay.

What the marker says

Organized by four charter members, the First Baptist Church of Celeste was begun in 1887, the same year the town was platted by the Santa Fe Railroad. The Rev. Jim Price was called as first pastor. A two-story building erected on South Third Street served both the church and the local Masonic Lodge. The building was destroyed by fire in 1907, and a larger structure was completed in 1910 on the same site. A new sanctuary was built on the corner of Third and Cockrell streets in 1970. This church has been part of Celeste history for over a century.