First Baptist Church of Bangs

The railroad town this congregation moved to kept growing well after World War II ended. New additions brought housing to Bangs, and from 1946 Brownwood supplied it with filtered water. Passenger trains stopped serving the town in 1965. The population, 1,214 in 1970, reached 1,716 in 1980, fell to 1,555 in 1990 and stood at 1,620 in 2000. In 1973 the New Testament Holiness Church, led by David Terrell, also made its home in Bangs.

What the plaque says

This congregation traces its history to 1883, when the Rev. A R. Watson and a small group of worshipers formed a Baptist congregation in the community of Mukewater. The church moved to the new town of Bangs on the Santa Fe Railroad Line in 1890 and became known as First Baptist Church. By 1891 a sanctuary was built on land granted to the church by the railroad. It was replaced by a larger structure in 1923. Throughout its history, First Baptist Church has served the community with a variety of worship, educational, and outreach programs. (1991)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Lake Brownwood State Park — 12 mi
  A CCC park on a reservoir that filled in a single flood before its dam was done, with stone cabins, a hilltop dance pavilion and a grand staircase climbed by dancers arriving by boat.

More markers nearby

• Bangs Public Schools — 0.4 mi
• Thrifty — 6.8 mi
• Robert E. Howard — 7.8 mi
• Charlie Webb and John Wesley Hardin — 7.8 mi