ORIGINAL Site of Judson Baptist Church Building and Brush Arbor - Cayuga, TX
N 31° 57.271 W 095° 56.486
15R E 221975 N 3539173
A plaque attached to a boulder in front of the tabernacle at historical Judson Cemetery, Cayuga, TX, notes this as the original site of the Judson Baptist Church building and brush arbor, going way back to 1855.
Waymark Code: WM11FM0
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 10/15/2019
Views: 2
The plaque simply reads:
Original Site of
Judson Baptist Church Building
and Brush Arbor
1855
The cemetery's 1993 Texas Historical Marker makes a casual reference to the brush arbor and the church that followed it:
This graveyard traces its origin to the establishment of Judson Missionary Baptist Church of Christ on September 20, 1854. The church served the pioneer community of Wildcat Bluff (later called Cayuga). The congregation relocated here about 1856 from the nearby Gilmore's Chapel and Brush Arbor to a church building and acreage donated by Martin and Nancy Haywood on October 20, 1855. The first recorded burial here was that of 7-year-old Allen W. Barton on October 26, 1863.
Pioneer burials were a community effort. Members prepared the body, made the shroud, built the caskets and dug the graves. Cedar trees and large stones were used as grave markers. According to local tradition cedar tree stumps continue to disclose the site of unmarked grave sites. In 1910 a small parcel of land was added to the graveyard by donors L.J.M. Sutton, L.B. Clay, Mrs. Ida Harton, and Joe A. and Sarah Johnson.
Ellen and J.W. Seat donated 3¾ acres to the Judson Baptist Church in 1925 and sold additional acreage in 1954 for cemetery purposes. The Judson Cemetery Association helped establish a perpetual care fund in 1970 to maintain the grounds. The cemetery, deeded to the Cemetery Association by the Judson Baptist Church in 1986, continues to serve the church and community.
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The current incarnation of the Judson Baptist Church isn't too far from here, about three miles away at 199 Anderson County Rd 4915, Cayuga, TX. Its 1984 Texas Historical Marker provides some church history:
This congregation was organized in 1854 when the Fosterville Baptist Church divided its membership to better serve the growing population of Anderson County. County pioneers R.R. Morrow and J.H. Rowland were chief organizers of the twenty-one charter members. Morrow served as their first pastor.
Judson Baptist Church met for worship services in a brush arbor near Hall Branch Creek until its first sanctuary was constructed on land provided by Martin and Nancy Haywood. By 1891, membership had grown such that a larger church building was erected. Over the years, Judson Baptist Church facilities have been enlarged or relocated to adapt to population shifts in northwest Anderson County. After the congregation moved to this site in 1924, members farmed the surrounding land and used the proceeds to pay off the church debt.
Throughout its history, Judson Baptist Church has provided significant service and leadership to the Cayuga community and to those in the surrounding rural area. Its members have continued to uphold the ideas and traditions of their pioneer founders.
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