Peachtree Baptist Church

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'm passing it right along to you. Now, you've got to understand, this story starts somewhere else, somewhere that isn't quite here anymore. Two miles to the southwest, there was a place called Bevilport, and Bevilport had its day.

Commerce moved along the Angelina River, and Bevilport moved with it. But rivers have a way of giving and taking, and as commerce on the Angelina declined, so did Bevilport. Some of its residents, rather than watch the whole thing fade to nothing, picked themselves up and moved to Peachtree.

And they brought their faith with them. The Baptists among them had belonged to the Indian Creek Church back in Bevilport, and when they arrived in Peachtree, they didn't just sit on their hands. They worshiped in the Peachtree Methodist Church, which tells you something right there about the kind of practical, get-it-done spirit these folks carried.

Then, in January of 1910, they made it official. They formally established themselves as the Peachtree Missionary Baptist Church. They were originally part of the Bethlehem Baptist Association, and that held until 1935, when the congregation joined the Sabine Valley Association.

For a good while, services were held twice a month. Twice a month, the doors opened, the voices rose, and then folks went back to their lives and waited for the next gathering. That was the rhythm for years.

Then came 1951, and something changed. The congregation completed their own sanctuary and called a full-time pastor. No more twice a month, no more borrowing space or time.

They had a home of their own. Steady growth since World War II brought additional facilities, additional programs, the whole shape of a church that had decided it was going to stay. Started as transplants from a town the river left behind, and ended up putting down roots that held.

That's Peachtree Baptist Church.

What the marker says

Peachtree Baptist Church As the community of Bevilport (2 mi. Sw) declined with the decrease of commerce on the Angelina River, some residents moved to Peachtree. Baptists who had belonged to the Indian Creek Church in Bevilport worshiped in the Peachtree Methodist Church and formally established themselves as the Peachtree Missionary Baptist Church in January 1910. Originally part of the Bethlehem Baptist Association, the church joined the Sabine Valley Association in 1935. The congregation held services twice a month until 1951, when they completed their own sanctuary and called a full-time pastor. Steady growth since World War II has resulted in additional facilities and programs for the church. (2002)