First Baptist Church of Winona

Duane's take

Now, I'm basing this on what the official marker has to say, so let's let the record speak. Way back in 1849, out in what is now Smith County, a man named Pastor William H. Ray and fifteen charter members got together and planted a church.

They called it Harris Creek Baptist Church. Fifteen people. That's a small room, folks, and for a good while, that's exactly what they had.

The congregation met once a month, rotating through members' homes, because that was all there was. Then in 1850, they raised a pine log church building, and that was something. A roof, four walls, and a purpose.

By 1855 they had built a new sanctuary, located about a mile from what would become Winona. The congregation was growin, the community was growin, and in 1858 they established a cemetery west of that church building. It would later serve as a community graveyard for the wider area.

Now, the marker is careful to tell us something that deserves to be said plainly. African Americans were members of this church until Emancipation. And even then, even as members of the same congregation, they buried their dead in a separate section of that cemetery.

That's the record, and it stands. Then came 1878. A cyclone took the sanctuary down.

Just, gone. But the members rebuilt that same year. You have to sit with that for a second.

The same year. In 1900, the congregation picked up and relocated to Winona itself. By 1916 they were holding services twice a month instead of once.

A two-story brick church building went up in 1927, and in 1929 the congregation changed its name to Winona Baptist Church. In 1941 they voted to hold services full time. In 1947 the name changed again, this time to the First Baptist Church of Winona, the name it carries today.

In 1949 they held a centennial celebration, one hundred years from that first gathering of Pastor Ray and those fifteen souls. A larger facility was built in 1980, and additions followed in 1987. From a pine log room and a once-a-month Sunday to a full congregation with community outreach still runnin strong.

Fifteen members started it. The marker was recorded in 1997. The church was still going.

What the marker says

Established in 1849 by Pastor William H. Ray and 15 charter members, this church was originally called Harris Creek Baptist Church. The congregation met once a month in members' homes until a pine log church building was erected in 1850. A new sanctuary was constructed in 1855 about a mile from Winona. In 1858 the church established a cemetery west of the church building, later used as a community graveyard. African Americans were members of this church until Emancipation, but buried their dead in a separate section of the cemetery. A cyclone destroyed the sanctuary in 1878, but members rebuilt that year. In 1900 the church relocated to Winona, and in 1916 began holding services twice a month. A two-story brick church building was erected in 1927, and in 1929 the congregation changed its name to Winona Baptist Church. In 1941 the church voted to hold services full time, and in 1947 changed its name to the First Baptist Church of Winona. A centennial celebration was held in 1949. A larger facility was built in 1980, and additions were erected in 1987. The congregation offers traditional programs to its members and continues to support a variety of community outreach activities. (1997)