First Baptist Church of Rusk

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the First Baptist Church of Rusk. Now settle in, because this congregation's story stretches back a good long while — all the way to 1853. That's when a small group of worshippers, led by a man named Reverend John C.

Woolam, gathered in the home of a Mrs. Nan C. Trimble to do something simple and enduring: organize a church.

No grand sanctuary, no steeple catching the East Texas light. Just a living room, a reverend, and a handful of faithful people with an idea. From that modest beginning, they found their first real home in a Union Church on Barron Street — shared quarters, mind you, with the local Presbyterian congregation.

Now that's the kind of arrangement that either builds character or tests it, and apparently this group had plenty of both. The land for that Barron Street building was donated by Mrs. Joseph L.

Hogg, and the Baptist fellowship worshipped there for almost forty years. Almost forty years. That's not a chapter — that's a whole generation of Sunday mornings.

Then 1890 rolls around, and the congregation purchases property on Fourth Street. Two years later, under the leadership of Reverend J. H.

Thorn, a brand new sanctuary goes up. And Thorn wasn't finished. During his pastorate, this congregation merged with the New Birmingham Baptist Church — two fellowships becoming one.

That one-room structure built in 1892 was later picked up and moved — physically moved — to this very site in 1910. In 1918 the members started a building fund, and by the early 1920s, that single room had given way to a full three-storey building. The church kept growing from there, with building programs over the years continuing to expand what that little living room gathering had set in motion.

Through all of it — the shared buildings, the mergers, the moves, the expansions — the First Baptist Church of Rusk never let go of its commitment to missionary work, both local and foreign. And to this day, the marker tells us, it continues to be a vital part of the City of Rusk. Started in somebody's home in 1853.

Still standing. Some things, it turns out, are built to last.

What the marker says

The First Baptist Church of Rusk traces its history to 1853, when a small group of worshippers led by the Rev. John C. Woolam met in the home of Mrs. Nan C. Trimble to organize a congregation. Early worship services were held in a Union Church shared with the local Presbyterian congregation. Located on Barron Street on land donated by Mrs. Joseph L. Hogg, the building housed the Baptist fellowship for almost forty years. In 1890 property was purchased on Fourth Street and two years later, under the leadership of the Rev. J. H. Thorn, a new sanctuary was erected. Also during Thorn's pastorate, this congregation was merged with that of the New Birmingham Baptist Church. The 1892 one-room church structure was moved to this site in 1910. A building fund begun in 1918 enabled the church members to replace the small sanctuary with a three-storey building in the early 1920s. Later building programs enlarged church facilities over the years. Throughout its history, the First Baptist Church has maintained an involvement in local and foreign missionary activities. It continues to be a vital part of the City of Rusk.