First Christian Church of Orange

The church spent nine years meeting mostly in members' homes before it organized. Ten members began the Disciples of Christ congregation in 1885, and the Rev. J. C. Mason organized it in 1894, with its first meeting as a formal church at the Orange County Courthouse. A deed filed December 28, 1894 bought a lot at Ninth and Main, where a small wooden church went up in 1895. Under the Rev. Ben Turpin the new sanctuary was dedicated on March 28, 1954, designed by Coleman and Rolfe and built by G. Sarge. Fire destroyed Keown Hall in 1981.

What the plaque says

First Christian Church of Orange The First Christian Church of Orange began in 1885 when a group of residents started meeting for worship services. Some of these charter members were baptized in the Sabine River. The church officially organized under the Rev. J.C. Mason in 1894, and members built a sanctuary by 1895. After spending several years raising money for a new structure, the congregation moved here in 1954. Over the years, membership has grown, and the congregation has been active in community and charitable efforts. Members have also supported many ecumenical and educational programs. After more than 100 years, the church continues to be an important influence on the community it serves. (2006)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Stark Museum of Art — 0.3 mi
  A white-marble museum in Orange built by the Stark Foundation and opened in 1978, holding Western art, American Indian art, Audubon's Birds of America and Steuben glass, free to enter.
• Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center — 0.8 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.
• Museum of the Gulf Coast — 19 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.
• Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum — 21 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.

More markers nearby

• St. Mary's Catholic Church — steps away
• Orange Chamber of Commerce — steps away
• The Emmett Beuhler House — 0.2 mi
• Homesite of Dr. Edgar William Brown — 0.2 mi