First Baptist Church of Smiley

George W. Colley, who established a home, gin, and grist mill on Smiley Lake (1 mile S) in 1879, arranged for the Rev. John Stringer to hold the area's first formal Baptist meeting in 1880. People from throughout the area attended the 3-week brush arbor meeting during which 117 people were baptized in Smiley Lake. Smiley Lake Baptist Church, organized in 1882 with 34 charter members, erected a sanctuary and organized a Sunday School. A new sanctuary was built in 1893 on two acres donated by F. P. and M. L. Colley. The congregation was renamed Smiley Baptist Church in 1894. In 1906 several church members established Calvary Baptist Church in the new railroad town of Smiley. In 1915 Smiley Baptist Church moved to a site in Smiley donated by Maggie Glover. The Smiley and Calvary Churches reunited as the First Baptist Church in 1916. In 1921 the congregation withdrew from the San Antonio Baptist Association and joined 12 other churches to form the Gambrell Baptist Association. Church membership grew and in 1949 a new church building was erected. A parsonage was built in 1962. The church continues to build on a tradition of Sunday School programs, women's group programs, Baptist instruction, and support of home and foreign missions.

First Baptist Church of Smiley is a historical marker in Smiley, Gonzales County, dedicated in 1994. It is one of 94 historical markers documented in Gonzales County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 186 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 29.2710, -97.6347 near Smiley. The nearest cataloged historic site is Smiley United Methodist Church (historical marker), about 0.4 miles away. Others within a short drive include Smiley Latin American, Smiley Lake and Townsite, Old, and Smiley Lake Baptist Church.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5177001676. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.