George's Creek Baptist Church

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about George's Creek Baptist Church in Somervell County. Now settle in, because this one goes back a good ways. Way back to 1841, when two men, George Barnard and Thomas Torrey, passed through this part of Texas on an expedition out of the Republic of Texas bound for Santa Fe, New Mexico.

They were just passin' through. But something about the place stuck with them, because both men later came back and acquired land in the vicinity. That's the kind of country that gets under your skin.

Barnard and his brother went on to establish a trading post in the area, called Barnardville, which was later renamed Fort Spunky. Fort Spunky. You cannot make that up, and I did not.

By 1885, families had been arrivin' in steady numbers, puttin' down roots, building farms and businesses and churches. The George's Creek community was takin' shape, and it was takin' on a spiritual life to match. Records from the 1880s show two active Baptist churches in the George's Creek community: Good Hope and George's Creek.

Then a third Baptist congregation, Buck Creek, formed near the Nemo community in the early 1890s. George's Creek Baptist Church itself was established in 1885, and in those early years it shared a pastor with the Good Hope congregation. They were resourceful people.

When you don't have a building of your own, you make do. They met in the Methodist church building, in schoolhouses, under brush arbors, under tents. Whatever it took to gather the congregation together, they did it.

In 1905, the church reorganized, and three years later, in 1908, the members constructed a tabernacle at the cemetery. That's where they held their services, their revivals, their meetings. Later still, they moved into a sanctuary built by the Holiness Church in 1915, and that is the sanctuary they continue to use to this day.

Now, the records get thin in certain stretches of time. But what the known history makes clear is this: even when regular pastors were hard to come by, the congregation kept a strong Sunday School program runnin'. The membership has shifted as the population of the area has changed, but George's Creek Baptist Church has remained a spiritual and social center for the community it serves.

More than a century of dedicated worship, born from two men on an 1841 expedition who just happened to pass through and thought, you know, this place might be worth comin' back to.

What the marker says

The history of the George's Creek community can be traced to two men who passed through the area on an 1841 expedition from the Republic of Texas to Santa Fe, New Mexico. The men, George Barnard and Thomas Torrey, later acquired land in the vicinity. Barnard and his brother established a trading post called Barnardville, which was later renamed Fort Spunky. By 1885, many additional families had arrived in the area, establishing farms, businesses and churches, including Cumberland Presbyterian, Methodist and Baptist congregations. Records indicate two active Baptist churches in George's Creek community in the 1880s: Good Hope and George's Creek. A third Baptist church, Buck Creek, formed near the Nemo community in the early 1890s. In its early years, George's Creek Baptist Church, established in 1885, shared a pastor with the Good Hope congregation. They also shared space with other churches, meeting in the Methodist church building, in schoolhouses, and under brush arbors and tents. In 1905, the church reorganized, and members constructed a tabernacle at the cemetery in 1908. There, they held services and revivals, as well as meetings. They later moved into a sanctuary, which they continue to use today, built by the Holiness Church in 1915. Although records for certain time periods are scarce, the known history of George's Creek Baptist Church indicates more than a century of dedicated worship. Even in times without regular pastors, the congregation maintained a strong Sunday School program. The membership has changed along with the area population, but the church continues to be a spiritual and social center for the community it serves. (2005)