First Baptist Church of Port Neches

The church's own history adds names the plaque leaves out. It says twelve charter members organized in 1910 under Bro. W. L. Robertson and met in a one-room schoolhouse, and that the first trustees were J. W. Baker, F. Marvin, W. D. Drawhorn, C. J. Gentry, Edgar White and C. O. Stewart. The congregation bought its Magnolia Avenue property in 1946 for $3,400, and the first service there was held June 10, 1957. A frame building rebuilt after the 1940 fire sits, by that account, at Dearing and Avenue D.

What the plaque says

First Baptist Church of Port Neches This Baptist church, the first in Port Neches, organized in October of 1910. Twelve charter members held Baptist services in a one-room schoolhouse. These church founders were Mr. & Mrs. John Livingston, Mr. Horace Livingston, Mr. & Mrs. R.E. Rachford, Mr. & Mrs. D.A. Bibbs, Mr. & Mrs. Gillie Peveto, Mr. Arthur K. Peveto, Mrs. Abbie Block and Mr. Ollie Williams. In 1914, Mrs. R.E. Rachford donated property at the corner of Dearing Street and Avenue B for the construction of the church's first building, which was completed in 1917. W.H. Fortney became the church's first full-time pastor in 1918, and during his tenure, the frame building was removed from the property to make way for a newer, larger brick sanctuary that was completed in 1927. A devastating fire destroyed the 1927 structure on January 10, 1940, and all early church records were lost. A replacement frame building was constructed on the site in 1941, but the congregation voted to purchase property on Magnolia Avenue in 1946; services were first held at the new location in June, 1957. Church programs include sunday school, vacation bible school, youth activities and bible study. Expansion and renovations to the church plant have allowed the church to continue its mission in the community. Adult and student mission trips, sponsorship of Woodcrest Mission (1969-1983), and support of new churches are part of the mission emphasis of the church. Today, First Baptist Church of Port Neches continues to serve as a spiritual and social beacon to its congregants and to others in Port Neches and surrounding areas. (2010)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum — 7.2 mi
  A re-created oil boomtown on the Lamar University campus, with a derrick, period shops, a 1941 granite monument and an optional re-enactment of the January 1901 Lucas gusher.
• Museum of the Gulf Coast — 8.1 mi
  Port Arthur's regional museum in a former bank building: fossils, Native Americans, the petroleum story, a 125-foot history mural and Halls of Fame for musicians, athletes and artists.
• McFaddin-Ward House — 11 mi
  A Beaux-Arts Colonial Revival mansion finished in 1906 and lived in by one family for 75 years, with free guided tours of three furnished floors, the carriage house and gardens.
• Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center — 15 mi
  More than 250 acres on Adams Bayou, begun by H. J. Lutcher Stark in 1937, with garden rooms, a cypress-tupelo swamp, a heronry blind and free pontoon tours in season.

More markers nearby

• First United Methodist Church of Port Neches — 0.7 mi
• Tex Ritter — 1.2 mi
• Grigsby's Bluff — 1.3 mi
• Site of First Mercantile Building — 1.4 mi