First Baptist Church of Navasota

In the spring of 1860, six men formed this church, one of the first of any faith in the railroad town of Navasota. By fall there were 52 members, and growth continued. Services were held in the town's schoolhouse, and then in a Methodist church, until the Baptists received a site as a gift from the Houston & Texas Central Railway, and built a small frame sanctuary about 1872. A permanent edifice of native stone was started after Mrs. A. E. Baten, wife of the pastor, drew plans in 1889. Funds came from members and non-members, sometimes as donations of cattle, and a 46' x 67' x 37' x 67' stone building with a steeple was completed in 1890. By 1925 more room was needed; a 2-story annex was constructed. Although a new, larger sanctuary was erected in 1955, the 1890 building is still used. In 1969, it was converted into a fellowship hall, and after a disastrous fire the next year was restored in 1971. The congregation-- now numbering more than 900 members-- founded and financed one local mission that became self-supporting, and now underwrites another. During the church's first 116 years, it has been served by 35 pastors.

First Baptist Church of Navasota is a historical marker in Navasota, Grimes County, dedicated in 1977. It is one of 73 historical markers documented in Grimes County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 213 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 30.3880, -96.0849 near Navasota. The nearest cataloged historic site is Steele House (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Saint Paul's Episocpal Church, First Presbyterian Church of Navasota, and First United Methodist Church of Navasota.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5185008574. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.