The Old Rock Baptist Church
Posted by: 
QuesterMark
N 29° 11.456 W 098° 40.816
14R E 531085 N 3229182
This post-mounted subject marker stands in front of the church, on Old Rock Road, down Rossville Road, off FM 476 in Lytle.
Waymark Code: WM13F4A
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 11/27/2020
Views: 8
Marker erected by the Texas State Historical Survey Committee.
City: Lytle
County: Atascosa
Subject Codes: Baptist denomination, church buildings, churches, graveyards, cemeteries, congregations, pastors, petroleum
Designations: Recorded Texas Historical Landmark
Marker Year 1971
Marker Size 27" x 42"
Marker Number: 3795
Marker Text:
Organized as Medina Baptist Church in April 1857 at Mann's Crossing, near MacDona. Until 1866. When members built an arbor here near Old Somerset, the services were held in homes or in a schoolhouse.
Site for meetinghouse and cemetery (2.5 acres here) was bought for ten dollars in 1867 by committeemen F.M. Avent, Elisha A. Briggs, and W. D. Johnson on behalf of Medina Church. This committee also drew the plans: Briggs, a settler from Massachusetts and a stonemason, did much of the construction. Worship began here in 1869 as soon as house had roof and walls-although door and window spaces were empty and there was no floor except bare ground. In those early days, four ordained ministers took turns as unpaid pastors. Avent was clerk and sexton. Medina Church membership was racially integrated. Some of the Negro members lie buried in honored graves in the cemetery.
In 1892 Medina Church relocated at Bexar. Cemetery maintenance was continued here; "Old Rock" was used at times for funerals or worship. In 1921, after local petroleum discoveries, Grayburg Oil Company and some of its employees helped renovate the meetinghouse. Congregation renamed itself for the Old Rock Church and regular worship has continued here ever since. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark -1971
|
Visit Instructions:
Please include a picture in your log. You and your GPS receiver do not need to be in the picture. We encourage additional information about your visit (comments about the surrounding area, how you ended up near the marker, etc.) in the log.