First Baptist Church of Bartlett
Originally known as Pecan Grove Baptist Church, this fellowship was organized in 1873 by the Rev. M.V. Smith, The Rev. H.I. Kimball, and the Rev. G.W. Baines, great-grandfather of United States President Lyndon Baines Johnson. In 1884 the church was moved to Bartlett from the Pecan Grove community (3 mi. W) and the congregational name was changed. Members built a one-room frame sanctuary which was shared with a local Methodist fellowship during the 1890s.
When the membership outgrew the facility a new wooden structure was built at this location in 1900. The property here was donated to the fellowship by German immigrant J.E. Pietzsch (1844-1924) and his wife Margaret (1848-1929), pioneer area settlers and members of St. John's Lutheran Church.
Continued growth led to the construction of a larger sanctuary here in 1930. Built by the Brownwood firm of Moore and Hale, the brick sanctuary was finished during the pastorate of the Rev. W.M. Lanier. Six years after completion of the structure, church members had contributed the funds to pay the total cost of construction. The event was celebrated with a special note-burning ceremony here on Sunday morning, December 13, 1936.
Marker is on W. Bell St., on the right when traveling west.
Courtesy hmdb.org
