First Baptist Church of Clarksville

Duane's take

The way I tell it, this comes straight from the official marker for First Baptist Church of Clarksville, up in Red River County. Here's the story as it stands. Now, you want to talk about a congregation that had to earn it, start here.

Back in 1847, a Kentucky minister by the name of W. M. Pickett gathered seven charter members and organized what would become the First Baptist Church of Clarksville.

Seven people. That's it. But don't let the small number fool you, because what those devoted Baptists faced would have broken a less determined group entirely.

Nearly impassable roads. Inclement weather. A population so scattered across the land that just getting folks in the same room was an achievement all its own.

And yet, by 1850, they had built their first sanctuary. It rose on a site that would later become the Clarksville Cemetery, which is its own kind of quiet poetry, a place of beginnings that became a place of rest. The years kept moving, as years do.

The congregation grew, and in 1885 a second sanctuary was built right there in Clarksville. Then came the effort led by Louis E. Finney, and in 1905 the congregation raised its third sanctuary, this time at the very site where the marker stands.

Around that same time, the church organized a Sunday School, a young people's union, and an intermediate girls society known as The Ida Taylor Missionary Society. That name was given to it, and it carried that name with purpose. By 1919, the church's work had drawn notice far beyond Red River County.

The congregation was recognized for the substantial financial support it lent to the Southern Baptist Convention's campaign to evangelize the South. That is a congregation punching well above its weight. And they weren't finished.

In 1951, the church organized what was to become Clarksville's self-sustaining College Avenue Baptist Church, a whole new congregation seeded from their own roots. Then in 1959, a new sanctuary was built at this same site, and additional facilities have been added over the years since. From seven charter members in 1847 to a church still active in missionary work, still reaching out into its community.

The First Baptist Church of Clarksville has had four sanctuaries, weathered roads that barely deserved the name, and outlasted just about every obstacle Red River County could throw at it. Seven people walked through the door at the beginning. Look what came of that.

What the marker says

Kentucky minister W. M. Pickett and seven charter members organized this congregation in 1847. The devoted group of Baptists endured nearly impassable roads, inclement weather, and a scattered population and built their first sanctuary in 1850 on a site which later became the Clarksville Cemetery. A second sanctuary was built in Clarksville in 1885. The congregation continued to grow and in an effort led by Louis E. Finney built its third sanctuary in 1905 at this site. About that time the congregation organized a Sunday School, a young people's union, and an intermediate girls society know as "The Ida Taylor Missionary Society." In 1919 the church was recognized for the substantial financial support it lent to the Southern Baptist Convention's campaign to evangelize the South. The congregation continued its missionary efforts by organizing in 1951 what was to become Clarksville's self-sustaining College Avenue Baptist Church. The congregation built a new sanctuary at this site in 1959; additional church facilities have been added over the years. First Baptist continues to be active in missionary work and in providing religious guidance and outreach programs for the community. (1994) SUPPLEMENTAL PLATE: First Baptist Church moved from 501 South Walnut to this location in October 2010.