King Baptist Church

Duane's take

The way the marker tells it, here's what happened out in Coryell County. Back in 1875, a Baptist congregation organized and held their worship services in the Stringtown log schoolhouse. Now picture that, a log schoolhouse standing in for a sanctuary, folks gathered together with nothing fancy, just faith and a roof overhead.

When it came time for baptism, they walked to Cowhouse Creek. The creek did the work the building couldn't. Five years on, in 1880, Monroe and Mary Puett deeded two acres of land to the Baptist Church.

Two acres. A gift of ground, and with it, the promise of something permanent. That permanence took shape in 1901, when a new sanctuary rose up built entirely on volunteer labor.

No hired hands, just members putting their backs into something they believed in. The congregation kept on, kept growing, kept gathering, and somewhere in the 1930s they gave themselves a new name: King Baptist Church. Then came 1951, and weekly services began, a steady rhythm that hadn't always been there before.

And if that weren't enough, the members came together again in 1974 and built a new sanctuary and educational facilities with their own hands, echoing what their predecessors had done back in 1901. By the time this marker was recorded in 1997, King Baptist Church had served that corner of Texas for more than a hundred and twenty years. Started in a log schoolhouse by a creek.

Still standing. Some things, friend, are built to last.

What the marker says

This church traces its history to 1875, when a Baptist congregation organized and held worship services in the Stringtown log schoolhouse. Baptism services were conducted at Cowhouse Creek. In 1880 Monroe and Mary Puett deeded two acres of land to the Baptist Church. A new sanctuary was built in 1901 using volunteer labor. In the 1930's the church changed its name to King Baptist Church. Weekly services began in 1951. Church members built a new sanctuary and educational facilities in 1974. The church has served the area for more than 120 years. (1997)