First Baptist Church of Dayton

The first Baptist congregation in Dayton was formed in 1878, when ten worshipers gathered together to begin a church. A one-room schoolhouse, located on what is now East Cook Street, was used for worship services until 1895. The church's first pastor was the Rev. E. M. Forman, a circuit riding minister. Other traveling clergymen also pastored the small church in its early years, including D. W. Jackson, J. McArthur Black, J. A. Lee, J. F. McLeod, and J. M. Day. In 1895 the Baptist congregation began conducting services in a Union Church on the southeast corner of Waring and North Main streets. In 1901, following damage to the Union Church in the hurricane of 1900, construction began on a baptist sanctuary near this site on South Church Street. Throughout its history the First Baptist congregation has sought to serve its community. A Ladies Aid Society was organized in 1911, and the first of many local missions was established in 1912. A youth ministry also began in 1912. The church congregation has maintained an active involvement in both home and foreign missionary projects.

First Baptist Church of Dayton is a historical marker in Dayton, Liberty County, dedicated in 1988. It is one of 60 historical markers documented in Liberty County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 133 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 30.0450, -94.8863 near Dayton. The nearest cataloged historic site is Dayton's Old School (historical marker), about 0.2 miles away. Others within a short drive include First Methodist Church of Dayton, The Runaway Scrape, and Judge Walter S. Neel House.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5291009651. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.