White Mound Baptist Church

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. The White Mound Baptist Church. Coryell County, Texas.

Now settle in, because this story starts with split logs and ends with stained glass, and there's a whole lot of faithful years in between. The church was organized on September 14, 1874, right at the base of White Mound Hill. They called it the Baptist Church of Christ at White Mound back then, a name with some weight to it, fitting for a congregation that was going to have to share its home with a schoolhouse.

That log building had been there since 1861, when the White Mound School set up inside it. Split logs served as desks, benches, and seats. Not exactly cushioned pews, but nobody was complaining, or if they were, they kept it to themselves.

The church and the school made do together in that little log structure, which is the kind of arrangement that either builds character or tests it. Probably both. Then in the early 1880s, the school picked up and moved to a new location, leaving the building entirely to the congregation.

They held on there, meetin' in that same old log structure, all the way until early 1898. But the year before that, in 1897, the church members did something that announced they meant business. They purchased two acres of land to erect a proper church building.

Under the direction of a man named Lafe Lam, an arbor, what they called a tabernacle, was built in March of 1898. That winter, shutters were installed, giving it a little more shelter from the elements. And when the congregation first gathered there for services, it was Elders John McClain and J.M.

Wright who led them through that first service. Two men standing at the front of something they had all built together. That tabernacle served as the church's sanctuary for years, right up until 1914, when the present sanctuary was completed.

Now here's where the story gets a little more permanent. That sanctuary was designed and built by a contractor named Aaron Fellers, and the man did not think small. Fourteen-foot ceilings.

Large frosted glass windows. The kind of room that makes you feel like what you're doing inside it matters. Those frosted glass windows held their place for decades, until 1987, when they were replaced with stained glass.

In 1947, wings were added to accommodate growth. Two years later, in 1949, a fellowship hall followed. And back in 1917, a parsonage was built on the site where the youth hall now stands.

Since 1920, Baylor University up in Waco and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary over in Fort Worth have been sending their best young men to the White Mound Baptist Church, stepping into the roles once filled by early pioneer preachers. Many of those young men went on to have successful tenures at urban churches across the region. Youth camps, partnerships with other churches and communities, local missions, foreign missions.

The White Mound Baptist Church has made its presence felt well beyond the county lines of Coryell. It started with split logs at the base of a hill. It's still standin'.

That's a story worth tellin'.

What the marker says

Originally known as the Baptist Church of Christ at White Mound, the White Mound Baptist Church was organized on September 14, 1874, at the base of White Mound Hill in Coryell County. The church shared a small log building with the White Mound School, established in 1861. Split logs were used as desks, benches and seats. In the early 1880s, the school moved to a new location, leaving the building to the church, where they continued to meet until early 1898. In 1897, church members purchased two acres of land to erect a church building. Under the direction of Lafe Lam, an arbor (tabernacle) was built in march 1898, with shutters installed that winter. Elders John McClain and J.M. Wright led the congregation through its first service there. The tabernacle served as the church sanctuary until 1914 when the present sanctuary was completed. Designed and built by contractor Aaron Fellers, the sanctuary included 14-foot ceilings and large frosted glass windows. The glass was replaced with stained glass in 1987. Wings were added in 1947 to accommodate growth as well as a fellowship hall in 1949. In 1917, a parsonage was built on the site and where the youth hall now sits. Since 1920, Baylor University (Waco) and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Fort Worth) have sent their best young men to the church, replacing early pioneer preachers. Many of these went on to have successful tenures at urban churches. Through youth camps, partnerships with other churches and communities, and local and foreign missions, the White Mound Baptist Church has made a significant impact on the community and areas beyond Coryell County. (2017)