Historical Marker
First Baptist Church of Port Lavaca
Port Lavaca, Calhoun County · Texas
Erected 1986
The congregation's early decades were also the county's sickest. Cholera came to Calhoun County in 1849, 1852 and 1853, and after the Civil War a fire burned buildings at Indianola in 1867 and yellow fever thinned the population again. The storms followed: the hurricane of 1875 destroyed the railroad near Lavaca, and the tracks to Lavaca Junction were taken up. By 1880 Lavaca had about 100 people. Only after Indianola was abandoned in 1886 did the town become county seat again and begin a long, steady growth.
What the plaque says
First Baptist Church of Port Lavaca Organized in 1854 as the Lavaca Baptist Church, this congregation developed from area missionary efforts that began in the 1830s. The original church leaders were: Elder J. M. B. Haynie, pastor; Ammon Burr, clerk; and John Slater and Charles Ives, deacons. Despite early hardships such as the Civil War, hurricanes, and a yellow fever epidemic, the Baptists continued their worship services and in 1913 were chartered by the state as the First Baptist Church of Port Lavaca. Active in the formation of several area congregations, the church has played an active role in the development of the town. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986.
Where it stands
28.62565, -96.62654 · Directions