First Baptist Church of Gilmer

First congregation was organized in a log cabin in 1846 as the Gilmer Missionary Baptist Church of Christ. In 1854 the congregation consisted of 22 members and the Rev. J. M. Griffin served as pastor. Church membership grew to 100 in 1869 and in the early 1870s the first church building was erected about one block north of this site. Walter Grimmer organized the first Sunday School in 1878. A Ladies Aid Society was organized in 1895 and in 1896 a new brick sanctuary was erected. The first full-time pastor, the Rev. J. L. Mahan, was called in 1904. The congregation purchased land here in 1909 and in 1911 a new sanctuary containing their first baptistry was erected. That year the church, with a membership of 410, became a charter member of the Pittsburg Baptist Association. A parsonage was built here in 1918 and an education building in 1925. The church was renamed First Baptist Church of Gilmer in 1929. Over the years the church has remodeled existing structures and added new buildings to its property to serve its growing congregation. The congregation has grown with the community and continues to support missionary activities and serve the area with a variety of outreach programs. Sesquicentennial of Texas Statehood 1845-1995

First Baptist Church of Gilmer is a historical marker in Gilmer, Upshur County, dedicated in 1994. It is one of 48 historical markers documented in Upshur County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 108 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 32.7299, -94.9464 near Gilmer. The nearest cataloged historic site is Looney School (historical marker), about 0.1 miles away. Others within a short drive include Upshur County Courthouse, Upshur County, C.S.A., and Leather Factories, C.S.A..

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5459011310. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.