First Baptist Church of Whitehouse

Anglo settlement of this area began in the 1840s. The community of Whitehouse, which grew up around a white painted schoolhouse, began in the early 1850s. A church congregation, called New Hope Church of Christ, Baptist, was organized in September 1869 by Elders J. A. Kindle and W. G. Caperton and about twenty-five charter members. Early worship services were held once a month. In 1887 a plot of land was purchased by New Hope Baptist Church and a one-room sanctuary, nestled in a pine grove, was built by the congregation. After the railroad came through Whitehouse in the 1870s and a central business district began to grow, the church was relocated to the new townsite. A white frame building was erected in 1901, and the name was changed to Whitehouse Baptist Church. In 1923 the church was relocated once again, to a site on East Main Street. At that time it was also renamed First Baptist Church. A new church facility was erected in 1959, and continued growth led to the construction of the present sanctuary in 1980. A part of Smith County history for more than a century, the First

First Baptist Church of Whitehouse is a historical marker in Whitehouse, Smith County, dedicated in 1989. It is one of 90 historical markers documented in Smith County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 272 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 32.2269, -95.2138 near Whitehouse. The nearest cataloged historic site is Memorial Park (Whitehouse) (cemetery), about 0.3 miles away. Others within a short drive include New Canaan Cemetery, Green Cemetery, and Walnut Grove Cemetery.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5423007725. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.