First Baptist Church of Rocksprings

Edwards County's people split evenly between Anglo and Hispanic residents in the 1980s, and the Handbook of Texas gives a reason: young Anglos tended to leave for school and work and not come back, while Hispanic families generally stayed near home. By 2014 the census counted 54.6 percent Hispanic and 43.7 percent Anglo among the county's 1,879 residents. The county's peak had come in 1910, at 3,768 people. Ranching still ruled in 2002, when 349 farms and ranches covered 973,512 acres, almost all of it pasture.

What the plaque says

First Baptist Church of Rocksprings In 1893, an early year in the community's history, a small group of seven organized the Missionary Baptist Church of Christ at Rocksprings. The church disbanded after a few years, but was reborn as Rocksprings Baptist Church in 1898. Seventeen members called the Rev. Dan W. Matthews as their first pastor in that year. The Ladies' Aid Society began in 1900 under Mrs. Matthews. A frame building was erected in 1904; a parsonage followed in 1909. The small church, through the dedication of its members, prospered until 1927, when a tornado devastated the town of Rocksprings. Texans came from far and wide to repair the community and rebuild the Baptist building. The church continued to thrive through the Depression and war years. By 1932 a Mexican American mission sponsored by the Baptists became a full Sunday School; in 1936 the membership of the Baptist church was 157 and in 1949 it was 207. The congregation was active in support of Baptist organizations. Modern brick facilities were dedicated on this site in 1966. In missionary service, community outreach, and devotion to worship, the First Baptist Church of Rocksprings continues to uphold the values and traditions of its pioneer founders. (1998)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Devil's Sinkhole State Natural Area — 0.3 mi
  A 140-foot shaft into a cavern outside Rocksprings, seen only on guided tours from a platform at the rim as some three million bats spiral out on summer evenings.
• Real County Historical Museum — 33 mi
  A small county museum in Leakey, at the head of the Frio Canyon, with a log-cabin parlor, an 1880s horse-drawn hearse, a wool and mohair shearing machine and 1910s jail cells.

More markers nearby

• Edwards County — 0.3 mi
• Rocksprings Telephone Company — 0.3 mi
• Gilmer Hotel — 0.4 mi
• First Methodist Church of Rocksprings — 0.4 mi