First Baptist Church of San Marcos

City's third oldest congregation. Pioneer in church-related education. Organized Oct. 25, 1857, by the Rev. Milton Caperton, a missionary. Charter members: J. J. Barbee, Mrs. Mary Barbee, Maj. and Mrs. William Barbee, Shadrack Dixon, Jonathon Ellison, Mrs. Hattax, Mrs. Claiborne Kyle (who, according to tradition, walked 6 miles to worship here). First resident pastor (1878) was the Rev. H. M. Burroughs. After meeting for years in borrowed or rented quarters, congregation erected first building of its own in 1881, under leadership of the Rev. Barnett Hatcher. Larger church buildings were erected in 1892 and 1902. Under its 1906-1914 pastor, the Rev. B. A. Copass, the church founded and opened (1908) San Marcos Baptist Academy-- an institution that is still prospering. After a destructive 1909 fire, a converted skating rink became the Baptist Tabernacle. Present church, completed in 1928, has been enlarged several times. During its first century, the congregation of First Baptist Church was host to programs featuring some internationally-known, popular orators, including U. S. Senator Joseph Weldon Bailey, presidential aspirant William Jennings Bryan, Evangelist George W. Truett, U. S. Senator Morris Sheppard, and others.

First Baptist Church of San Marcos is a historical marker in San Marcos, Hays County, dedicated in 1974. It is one of 124 historical markers documented in Hays County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 184 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 29.8484, -97.9836 near San Marcos. The nearest cataloged historic site is Pitts Cemetery (historical marker), about 0.8 miles away. Others within a short drive include Byrd Owen-Payne Cemetery, Belvin Street Historic District, and Malone, James Lafayetteand Eliza Pitts.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5209010268. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.