Liberty Baptist Church - Marion County, TX
N 32° 52.708 W 094° 27.311
15S E 363870 N 3638752
Liberty Baptist Church is at 445 Marion County Rd 1648, about 17 miles northwest of Jefferson, where they get their mail. Avinger is a bit closer, at about seven miles to the northwest.
Waymark Code: WM1AYN3
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 10/30/2024
Views: 1
In the parlance of MAD magazine, you are in "Waytheheckout" here in north central Marion County -- you're not far from Cass County to the north -- and the roads are quite bumpy. Other than web-spidered directory listings and a page with the Southern Baptist Convention (see below) which doesn't say much, there's little to be found about the church otherwise, not even service times. The grounds are well-maintained, there's a sign in front of the church, and there are even a few signs down the road, pointing the way. A 1989 Texas Historical Marker provides a little bit of background, though:
This church traces its history to April 1874, when eight charter members gathered to organize a Baptist congregation. The first pastor was W. W. Mond. Early worship services were held in a union church building which was shared with the local Methodist congregation and was also used as a school. Known as Harmony Baptist Church in the early 1890s, the original name of Liberty was restored in 1898. About that time the Methodist congregation ceased to use the union church facility, which has been enlarged over the years to accommodate the growing Baptist congregation.
Reading between the lines, this little sanctuary appears to date to before the turn of the 20th century; perhaps it's from the 1890s, but maybe even from the 1870s. The doors look vintage, but the siding and roofing are comparatively modern. It's certainly the same building as the one in the nostalgic portrait on the sign out front, though.