Near Huntsville in Walker County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Cook Springs Baptist Church
Photographed by Jeff Leichsenring, March 8, 2026
1. Cook Springs Baptist Church Marker
Inscription.
Cook Springs Baptist Church. . Baptists organized here in 1901 and held services at the Guinea Glade School (about 2 mi. NW). Brother Elisha E. Day (1848-1936), pastor of the Woodville Church (about 10 mi. SW), helped establish the congregation and conducted its first services. Charter members included Mr. and Mrs. Jim Cauthen, Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Hill, Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Petree, Mr. and Mrs. John L. Petree, Mrs. Mary Petree, Mr. and Mrs. Peter Petree, Mr. and Mrs. E. H. Tharp, and Miss Ruth Tharp. Mrs. Sarah Brown Gaines, wife of Toliver L. Gaines, organized the Sunday School. , In 1903 Mrs. Scisely Wells Cook Rose (1830-1912), also a charter member, gave this spring-fed site for a church building. She asked that the church be named for her late husband, John William Cook, who died in 1864 in the Civil War. , Records date from 1907, when Deacon Edwin Harris Tharp (1849-1922) was church clerk and C. W. Matthews was the first called pastor listed. By 1912 a wooden sanctuary was completed. Services were held one weekend per month, Saturday night and Sunday morning. , A new building was dedicated in 1945, assembled and furnished largely by the labors of the congregation. Many additions indicate the growth of the church, yet the original spring survives, occupying a revered site.
Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986
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Baptists organized here in 1901 and held services at the Guinea Glade School (about 2 mi. NW). Brother Elisha E. Day (1848-1936), pastor of the Woodville Church (about 10 mi. SW), helped establish the congregation and conducted its first services. Charter members included Mr. and Mrs. Jim Cauthen, Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Hill, Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Petree, Mr. and Mrs. John L. Petree, Mrs. Mary Petree, Mr. and Mrs. Peter Petree, Mr. and Mrs. E. H. Tharp, and Miss Ruth Tharp. Mrs. Sarah Brown Gaines, wife of Toliver L. Gaines, organized the Sunday School.
In 1903 Mrs. Scisely Wells Cook Rose (1830-1912), also a charter member, gave this spring-fed site for a church building. She asked that the church be named for her late husband, John William Cook, who died in 1864 in the Civil War.
Records date from 1907, when Deacon Edwin Harris Tharp (1849-1922) was church clerk and C. W. Matthews was the first called pastor listed. By 1912 a wooden sanctuary was completed. Services were held one weekend per month, Saturday night and Sunday morning.
A new building was dedicated in 1945, assembled and furnished largely by the labors
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of the congregation. Many additions indicate the growth of the church, yet the original spring survives, occupying a revered site.
Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986
Erected 1986 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 8439.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1901.
Location. 30° 45.891′ N, 95° 39.865′ W. Marker is near Huntsville, Texas, in Walker County. It is on State Highway 75 0.9 miles north of Farm to Market Road 1696, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1936 TX-75, Huntsville TX 77320, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the American South and on the Gulf Coast. 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 6 miles of this
3. Cook Springs Baptist Church current church building
Photographed by Jeff Leichsenring, March 8, 2026
4. spring noted in marker
Credits. This page was last revised on March 10, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 9, 2026, by Jeff Leichsenring of Garland, Texas. This page has been viewed 8 times since then. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on March 9, 2026, by Jeff Leichsenring of Garland, Texas. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.
