Desdemona First Baptist Church

This church was organized by nine charter members in 1872. Religious observances began with brush arbor meetings organized in the summer of 1872 by The Rev. Johnnie Northcutt. Early settlers traveled by wagon, horseback, buggy, and on foot to meet under the canopy of Spanish oaks along the banks of nearby Hog Creek (about 1 mile south) to hear Northcutt's Baptist sermons. Beginning in the fall of 1872 monthly services were held in a schoolhouse built near the Hog Creek site by Johnny Carruth and Charlie Mitchell. The congregation, originally called Rockdale Baptist Church, built their first sanctuary in the village of Desdemona shortly after the establishment of the community's first post office in 1877. About that time the church was renamed Desdemona First Baptist Church. Box suppers, baptisms, picnic services at area lakes and water tanks, and lengthy revivals soon became routine activities for the congregation. The discovery of oil here transformed Desdemona from a small village to a booming oil town by 1919. To escape the crowded conditions of Desdemona the congregation built a new sanctuary at this site in 1921-22 on land donated by C.H. and Fannie Genoway. The congregation, active in various missionary efforts, continues to serve the local community. (1993)

Desdemona First Baptist Church is a historical marker in Desdemona, Eastland County, dedicated in 1993. It is one of 46 historical markers documented in Eastland County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 60 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 32.2724, -98.5485 near Desdemona. The nearest cataloged historic site is Fort Blair, C.S.A. (historical marker), about 0.3 miles away. Others within a short drive include Desdemona Cemetery, Ellison Family Graveyard, and Ellison Springs.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5133001212. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.