Bethel Union Baptist Church

The La Grange Baptist District Association of Texas was organized in 1874. That same year, land was purchased in Giddings for a church that had recently been organized in a private home. A church building was soon erected, located south of the courthouse in a section of town known as The Flat. At the first service held in the new church, a name was adopted, Willow Grove Baptist Church. Also at that service, the Rev. I. Tolliver was named minister. Some years later, another church located in The Flat, St. Paul Chapel, and the Willow Grove Baptist Church merged to form one congregation. The church moved to its present site, at the corner of West Dallas and Hempstead streets. Following the union of the two congregations, the name was changed to Bethel Union Baptist Church. The official organization date of the church is 1886. The church continued to serve its community for a number of years. Eventually, part of the congregation left to form another congregation. Additional property was added to the church in 1911, 1940, 1942, and 1943. Five former pastors of Bethel Union Baptist Church have served as moderators of the La Grange Baptist District Association. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836 - 1986

Bethel Union Baptist Church is a historical marker in Giddings, Lee County, dedicated in 1986. It is one of 47 historical markers documented in Lee County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 110 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 30.1835, -96.9456 near Giddings. The nearest cataloged historic site is St. Paul Baptist Church (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include William Preston (Bill) Longley, Helen Knox, and Robert Devlin McClellan _ Sarah Lewis Rainey McClellan.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5287008141. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.