First Baptist Church of Silsbee

In 1903, this congregation first worshiped in a railroad car in the newly developed rail and sawmill town of Silsbee. Twelve charter members officially organized Central Baptist Church in 1908 at a meeting in the Masonic Lodge Hall. Fred Haney, Ed Roper and Dr. W. H. Mcneil left Silsbee Baptist Church in 1910 to become Central Baptist’s first deacons. Following a revival the same year, developer and timber Baron John Henry Kirby donated land and lumber for the first church building on North 4th street. Brother Growe, the first called pastor, served about two years. The growing congregation built a new church at 5th Street and Avenue G after 1923. The 1940s pastorate of Brother C. B. Bass saw significant developments, including: organizing the brotherhood in Jan. 1944; changing the name of the church to First Baptist Church of Silsbee; calling the first education and music director, Brother Coleman Young; and acquiring the old football field as a future church site. Brother R. E. Barclay, who served nearly 30 years, was called to be pastor in Sep. 1950. In 1954, the church moved to a new sanctuary on this site, with over 800 attending the first Sunday school in the new building. Both Good Shepherd (1947) and Pinecrest (1965) Baptist Churches were missions sponsored by First Baptist Church. The church has also financially supported missionaries in the U. S. and abroad. The “Barclay wing” was dedicated as additional education space in 1978. A new sanctuary was dedicated in Feb. 1999 with a special worship service in which renovations were dedicated to be used for God’s glory. Hurricanes Rita (2005) and Ike (2008) extensively damaged church facilities, but repairs were made each time. For more than a century, the church has been a beacon of light in the community.

First Baptist Church of Silsbee is a historical marker in Silsbee, Hardin County, dedicated in 2011. It is one of 23 historical markers documented in Hardin County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 93 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 30.3467, -94.1801 near Silsbee. The nearest cataloged historic site is Ice House Museum (museum), about 0.2 miles away. Others within a short drive include Farmers Memorial, Silsbee Ice Plant, and Harvey Houses of Silsbee.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5507016777. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.