First Baptist Church of Blanco

The town was young then. Blanco was laid out in 1858 across the river from Pittsburg, and when the Civil War cut its mail, residents paid to bring it once a week from New Braunfels so they could get the war news. By 1870 it had four stores, a hotel and a gin. The union church the Baptists shared was built in 1871 for $1,300 and served for years as a church for several denominations, a schoolhouse and a meeting place. In 1876 a fire destroyed the Masonic lodge, the old courthouse and all of the county's records.

What the plaque says

First Baptist Church of Blanco Led by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Silliman and the Rev. Joseph Bird (1821-1909), this congregation was organized on November 6, 1859, with five charter members. Worship services were held in a union church shared with the local Methodist and Church of Christ congregations until 1902, when the Baptists purchased land and built a frame sanctuary. It was replaced in 1951, and the congregation built a new facility at this site in 1975. Throughout its history, the First Baptist Church of Blanco has emphasized worship programs and missionary activities. (1991)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park — 12 mi
  The Johnson City district of the national park: the Victorian house where Lyndon Johnson grew up, and the stone barns his grandfather built in the Johnson Settlement.
• Lyndon B. Johnson State Park and Historic Site — 15 mi
  A state park on the Pedernales opposite the LBJ Ranch, with a working Texas-German farm kept as it was around the First World War and the permit desk for the ranch tour.
• Pedernales Falls State Park — 18 mi
  The Pedernales stepping down over layered limestone east of Johnson City, a river that can turn from a placid stream to a torrent in minutes.
• Luckenbach — 20 mi
  A store, saloon and dance hall on Grape Creek that a humorist bought in 1971, declared a free state of mind, and turned into a pilgrimage for Texas music.

More markers nearby

• Blanco High School — 0.6 mi
• Jesse L. McCrocklin — 0.9 mi
• Amenthal — 1.0 mi
• Mt. Horeb Baptist Church — 7.4 mi