First Baptist Church of Temple - Temple, TX
N 31° 07.111 W 097° 25.550
14R E 650101 N 3443801
The First Baptist Church of Temple is at 8015 W Adams Ave, Temple, TX.
Waymark Code: WM184YA
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 05/31/2023
Views: 1
A 1998 Texas Historical Marker provides some history:
Originally known as Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, this congregation was organized on November 21, 1874, in the small Bell County town of Birdsdale (about one mile west of present Temple). The Rev. Anderson Clark (1829-1925) became the church's first pastor, leading a charter membership of twenty people. A small sanctuary was built on land donated by A.J. Flakes, but was destroyed by a tornado two years after its construction.
Following the creation of the city of Temple in 1881, the members of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church voted to move to the new town and rename their congregation First Baptist Church of Temple. A frame church was built on the corner of North Main Street and Barton Avenue in 1882. It was replaced with a brick and stone structure in 1895. After the 1895 building was destroyed in a 1938 fire, the congregation relocated to this site and built a new sanctuary that same year. Additional buildings have been added over the years to serve the growing needs of the congregation.
Instrumental in local missionary activities, this church has served the community for over 100 years.
"This site" references the 1938 sanctuary which originally stood at 102 W Barton Ave. While some of the "additional buildings" are still in use for other purposes, the sanctuary was destroyed by fire -- arson -- on January 19, 2010. They moved into this complex in 2014. In addition to their website, they are active on Facebook.