First Baptist Church of Bartlett

Originally known as Pecan Grove Baptist Church, this fellowship was organized in 1873 by the Rev. M.V. Smith, The Rev. H.I. Kimball, and the Rev. G.W. Baines, great-grandfather of United States President Lyndon Baines Johnson. In 1884 the church was moved to Bartlett from the Pecan Grove community (3 mi. W) and the congregational name was changed. Members built a one-room frame sanctuary which was shared with a local Methodist fellowship during the 1890s. When the membership outgrew the facility a new wooden structure was built at this location in 1900. The property here was donated to the fellowship by German immigrant J.E. Pietzsch (1844-1924) and his wife Margaret (1848-1929), pioneer area settlers and members of St. John's Lutheran Church. Continued growth led to the construction of a larger sanctuary here in 1930. Built by the Brownwood firm of Moore and Hale, the brick sanctuary was finished during the pastorate of the Rev. W.M. Lanier. Six years after completion of the structure, church members had contributed the funds to pay the total cost of construction. The event was celebrated with a special note-burning ceremony here on Sunday morning, December 13, 1936. (1981)

First Baptist Church of Bartlett is a historical marker in Bartlett, Bell County, dedicated in 1981. It is one of 226 historical markers documented in Bell County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 411 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 30.7971, -97.4297 near Bartlett. The nearest cataloged historic site is Woman's Wednesday Club (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Bartlett, Bartlett Grammar School, and Site of Booker T. Washington School.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5027001613. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.