DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker at First Baptist Church of San Saba tells it — and it's quite a story. Before there even was a town of San Saba, there was a congregation. A group of citizens came together, formed a Baptist church, and started meetin' in each other's homes — three miles east, out on Simpson Creek.
This was 1856, and the man servin' them was a missionary preacher by the name of T. Howard, born 1817, died 1882. Out on the frontier, you held church where you could, and these folks held it in parlors and sitting rooms and wherever someone would open the door.
Now, the members had already made an agreement among themselves — the moment a town site was determined, they'd move their church to town. And sure enough, when the first San Saba Courthouse was completed in 1857, that congregation moved right in. They met in that courthouse for over two decades.
Twenty-some years of Sunday mornings in a building built for judges and jury trials. Then in 1878, they shifted again — this time to a small schoolhouse. It wasn't until 1883 that they finally got a building of their own.
Under the guidance of Reverend McHenry Seal — born 1877, died 1957 — a church building went up at 307 East Storey Street. A parsonage was added in 1899. Two structures, one address, one community.
That might've been the end of the story right there. But in 1923, fire destroyed both of them. The church and the parsonage — gone.
So what do you do? You start a building fund. The congregation acquired a new site in 1924 and began building again.
Here's where it gets interesting: a local quarry donated marble for the basement construction. Donated it. Now that is a gift.
But the quarry closed due to financial troubles before the work was done, and the building was completed using red brick instead. So if you ever wonder why that church looks the way it does — marble below, red brick above — well, now you know the shape of the story, even if the marker doesn't put a bow on it. A native stone parsonage went up in 1932.
In 1947, they added an educational facility — and this is the part I love — using converted barracks purchased from Fort Hood. Old military barracks, hauled in and put to work housing Sunday school classes. A new educational wing came in 1973, and the sanctuary itself was remodeled in 1982.
From Simpson Creek homes in 1856 to a remodeled sanctuary over a century later — through courthouse pews, a schoolhouse, a fire, a quarry that ran dry, and barracks from an army post — this congregation just kept right on meeting. That's the story the marker tells, and it's a good one.
What the marker says
Prior to the establishment of the town of San Saba, a group of citizens formed a Baptist congregation which met in homes three miles east on Simpson Creek. Formed in 1856, the congregation was served by missionary preacher T. Howard (1817-1882). The members agreed to move their church to town as soon as the site was determined. When the first San Saba Courthouse was completed in 1857, the Baptist congregation began meeting there, continuing until 1878, when they met in a small schoolhouse. In 1883, under the guidance of The Rev. McHenry Seal (1877-1957), a church building was erected at 307 E. Storey Street. A parsonage was added in 1899. Both structures were destroyed by fire in 1923. A building fund was started, and in 1924 the present site was acquired and a new church was begun. The basement construction was of marble donated by a local quarry, which closed due to financial troubles. The building was completed using red brick. A native stone parsonage was built in 1932. In 1947, an educational facility was added, using converted barracks purchased from Fort Hood. A new educational wing was built in 1973, and the sanctuary was remodeled in 1982. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836 - 1986