Lancaster Historic Neighborhood District in Dallas County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

First Baptist Church of Lancaster

Photographed by Kayla Harper, July 6, 2020

1. First Baptist Church of Lancaster Marker

Inscription.

During the 1840s and 1850s, Lancaster Baptists met periodically in private homes. On Sept. 29, 1867, fourteen charter members gathered to organize the Missionary Baptist Church. They worshiped first in the Masonic Hall, a two-story frame building that also housed three other denominations and the community school. Early baptisms were held in Ten Mile Creek.

In 1873 the congregation bought a lot at E. 2nd and State Street and erected the first church building in Lancaster, a structure shared for a time with the Methodists and Presbyterians. The bell that hung in the steeple of that frame edifice is now displayed in the church yard. The Ladies Aid Society, formed in 1877, helped purchase an adjacent lot for construction of the first parsonage in 1887.

This fellowship became the First Baptist Church of Lancaster in 1902. A new church building was erected in 1902-03 on this property at E. 3rd and Henry Street, purchased from Lancaster Lodge No. 160, A. F. & A. M. The pulpit and stained glass windows were transferred from that sanctuary to the present structure, built in 1951-52. Other physical facilities were added as the First

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Baptist congregation expanded its membership and community services.

Erected 1977 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 6691.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Religion & Religious Structures.

Location. 32° 35.658′ N, 96° 45.301′ W. Marker is in Lancaster, Texas, in Dallas County. It is in the the Lancaster Historic Neighborhood District. It is on East 3rd Street, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 305 E 3rd Street, Lancaster TX 75146, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Prairies & Lakes Region

and in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the Republic of Texas,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: First Presbyterian Church, U.S. of Lancaster

Photographed by Kayla Harper, July 6, 2020

2. First Baptist Church of Lancaster Marker

(about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Former Site of The Head House (about 500 feet away); Hardscrabble (about 600 feet away); Indians (about 600 feet away); Steel Dust (about 700 feet away); Early Churches (about 700 feet away); The Town Square (about 700 feet away); M.M. Miller and Pleasant Run (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lancaster.

First Baptist Church of Lancaster image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Kayla Harper, July 6, 2020

3. First Baptist Church of Lancaster

Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 9, 2020, by Kayla Harper of Dallas, Texas. This page has been viewed 823 times since then and 97 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 9, 2020, by Kayla Harper of Dallas, Texas. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.