First Baptist Church of Floresville

Duane's take

Well, here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the First Baptist Church of Floresville, Wilson County, Texas. Now, every congregation has to start somewhere, and this one started with a man who traveled a long way to get here. The Reverend John Washburn came to Texas from Illinois in 1877.

He didn't come to plant a church right off, mind you. He came to Floresville in May of 1878 to become superintendent of the Floresville Academy. But sometimes a man arrives for one reason and ends up doing something that outlasts everything else he ever did.

Just a few months after settling in, on August 25, 1878, about twenty charter members gathered at the Wilson County Courthouse for the organizational meeting of this fellowship. The county courthouse, think about that. Not a chapel, not a grove of live oaks, but the seat of Wilson County government.

Among those charter members were County Judge B. F. Ballard and Mrs.

Ballard, and a merchant by the name of O. D. Rhode and his wife.

Rhode had opened the second store in town, so the man clearly had a habit of being in on things early. And Mrs. Rhode, well, she taught Sunday School in this church for over sixty years.

Sixty years. Some people show up and then they just never stop showing up. Another early figure worth naming is S.

Allen Franklin, who served as lay preacher on occasion. The congregation kept meeting at that courthouse, week after week, year after year, all the way until 1889. Eleven years of worshiping in the halls of county government.

Then in 1889 the congregation bought this property. And here's a detail the marker wants you to know: this land was originally part of eight leagues granted to Juan and Simon Arocha. That's the ground the church stands on.

That same year, they erected a simple church building, forty feet by sixty feet. Clean, purposeful, and theirs. From there, the congregation kept building.

In 1905, that original structure was remodeled and enlarged. In 1916, a two-story education facility was added. Then in 1953, the original sanctuary was torn down, and a new church building was erected on the very same site.

And in 1973, a fellowship hall, a library, and a pastor's study were added. From a courthouse meeting room to a growing campus on land once granted to the Arocha family, this congregation has been addin' on, adaptin', and standin' firm in Floresville since 1878. Reverend Washburn came from Illinois, and something he helped start is still right here.

What the marker says

This congregation was established by the Rev. John Washburn, who came to Texas from Illinois in 1877. He moved to Floresville to become superintendent of the Floresville Academy in May 1878. According to tradition, about 20 charter members attended the organizational meeting of this fellowship on Aug. 25, 1878, at the Wilson County Courthouse. The charter members included County Judge and Mrs. B. F. Ballard, and Mr. and Mrs. O.D. Rhode. A merchant, Rhode opened the second store in town. His wife taught Sunday School in this church for over 60 years. Another early leader, S. Allen Franklin, served as lay preacher on occasion. Worship services were held in the courthouse until 1889. In that year, the congregation bought this property, originally part of eight leagues granted to Juan and Simon Arocha, and erected a simple church building measuring 40 ft. by 60 ft. In 1905 the structure was remodeled and enlarged. A two-story education facility was added in 1916. The original sanctuary was torn down in 1953 and a new church building erected on the same site. A fellowship hall, library, and pastor's study were added in 1973. (1977)