First Baptist Church of Lavon

The cemetery is what remains of the church's family. The 1882 split sent one half to a church north near Copeville and the other to South Church, Pleasant Hill, near Nevada, where Roland and Josephine Gooch sold land for the church and burial ground. The earliest marked grave there dates to 1880, and a tabernacle southeast of the church served when the building was too hot. The church disbanded in 1947, and the cemetery stopped taking burials by 1950. Its lumber went into Lavon's new church.

What the plaque says

First Baptist Church of Lavon For years, Baptists in the Lavon area worshipped in the two-story Lavon School House, alternating Sundays with the Presbyterian, Methodist and Assembly of God congregations. The First Baptist Church of Lavon was organized on September 25, 1949, but the history of the church began with three other rural churches. Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church (1857-1882) was built on the side of a hill near the Abston Cemetery and grew under the leadership of Rev. J.B. Daniel (1838-1884). A few years after Rev. Daniel's ministry ended in 1877, the church divided for geographic reasons. Some members organized a church south of Nevada called South Church, or Pleasant Hill Baptist Church (1882-1947), which prospered and established a cemetery. In 1889, another Baptist Church formed near Farmersville named Spring Hill Baptist Church (1888-1948). In the 1940s, both churches fell on hard times and closed, with Spring Hill transferring its church building to the Collin County Baptist Association. In cooperation with the association, the First Baptist Church of Lavon was organized in 1949 with 25 charter members. A church was built using the lumber from the Pleasant Hill Baptist Church and Spring Hill Baptist Church. The pews and piano came from Spring Hill church, as well as the old pulpit that was used for many years. The first revival was held in 1950, a tradition that continued for many years. The church building was officially dedicated on May 27, 1951, with sermons by three pastors. The church continued to grow and add to its campus with a parsonage, education building and education activity center. Through school sponsorships and events, hosting Vacation Bible School and offering programs such as Royal Ambassadors, Women's Ministry Union, Girls' Auxiliary and youth groups, the church has continued its strong heritage of community involvement. (2020)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Rockwall County Historical Foundation & Museum — 6.6 mi
  A small museum in Harry Myers Park that keeps the evidence on Rockwall's rock wall, sandstone dikes that geologists call natural and folk tales call built.
• Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary — 14 mi
  A 289-acre sanctuary in McKinney that Bessie Heard founded at the age of 80, with five habitats, a 50-acre wetland and 6.5 miles of trails.
• Audie Murphy / American Cotton Museum — 21 mi
  A Greenville museum of Hunt County's military heroes, including Audie Murphy, and of cotton, which keeps the engine of what it says was the world's largest inland cotton compress.
• No. 1 British Flying Training School Museum — 23 mi
  A free museum at Terrell's airport where about 2,200 RAF cadets learned to fly between 1941 and 1945, with logbooks, uniforms, letters and original training aircraft.

More markers nearby

• Lavon School — steps away
• Lavon — steps away
• Abston Cemetery — 1.7 mi
• Millwood and Millwood Cemetery — 2.2 mi