First Christian Church of Brenham

Duane's take

The way the marker tells it, here's what happened on this piece of Washington County ground. Back in 1877, eighteen souls came together and said, that's enough, let's make something permanent. That was the beginning of the First Christian Church of Brenham, and it didn't come from nowhere.

Two men had been doing the hard, dusty work of early missionary efforts before any of this was official: A. J. Bush and W.

J. Jones. Whatever roads they walked, whatever doors they knocked on, their efforts are what drew those first eighteen members into a congregation.

And not just any eighteen. Many of the earliest members were prominent Washington County settlers, people whose names already meant something in this part of Texas. So from the start, this fellowship carried a certain weight.

Now, they didn't have a home right away. For a good while, the congregation worshiped at various locations, wherever they could find a roof and enough room. That went on until 1898, when they finally got what they'd been building toward: a sanctuary of their own, completed and standing.

And the man who built it was no ordinary carpenter. Alex Griffin was a noted local builder, and he didn't put up anything plain. What he constructed was a Gothic revival church, the kind of building that makes you stop and look twice.

Round arched windows. Lancet windows. And an elaborate tower rising up against the Texas sky.

Eighteen members in 1877, a wandering fellowship for years, and then that tower. Some things are worth the wait.

What the marker says

Organized with 18 members in 1877, this congregation grew out of the early missionary efforts of A. J. Bush and W. J. Jones. Many prominent Washington County settlers were among its earliest members. The fellowship worshiped at various locations until this sanctuary was completed in 1898. Constructed by noted local builder Alex Griffin, the Gothic revival church building features round arched and lancet windows and an elaborate tower.