Downtown Austin in Travis County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Original Site of First Baptist Church of Austin

Photographed By Keith Peterson, September 30, 2007

1. Original Site of First Baptist Church of Austin Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

The Rev. R.H. Taliaferro of Kentucky organized the First Baptist Church in July 1847. Worship services were first held in the Capitol and later moved to a frame building at 12th and Lavaca. The congregation met in the 700 block of Congress Avenue until it built its first sanctuary at this site in 1857. The structure was remodeled in the 1880s. A larger brick church was constructed here in 1916. It was razed when the congregation moved to 9th and Trinity in 1970. Many Governors, state officials, and prominent Austin families worshiped at this location.

Erected 1985 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 14191.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Churches & Religion. A significant historical month for this entry is July 1847.

Location. 30° 16.328′ N, 97° 44.565′ W. Marker is in Austin, Texas, in Travis County. It is in Downtown Austin. Marker is at the intersection of W 10th Street and Colorado Street, on the right when traveling west on W 10th Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Austin TX 78701, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking

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distance of this marker. Governor Elisha Marshall Pease (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Henry Smith (about 300 feet away); Governor Edmund Jackson Davis (about 400 feet away); Old Bakery (about 400 feet away); Site of Temporary Texas State Capitol of 1880’s (about 400 feet away); First Classes of the University of Texas Law School (about 400 feet away); African Americans in the Texas Revolution (about 500 feet away); The Woman Suffrage Movement in Texas (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Austin.

Also see . . . First Baptist Church of Austin. (Submitted on December 20, 2009, by Keith Peterson of Cedar Park, Texas.)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 20, 2009, by Keith Peterson of Cedar Park, Texas. This page has been viewed 806 times since then and 99 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on December 20, 2009, by Keith Peterson of Cedar Park, Texas. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.

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