Leander Presbyterian Church

Leander's Presbyterians had a church before they had a town. The county historical commission says the congregation moved a log cabin to serve as both church and school by 1855, two years before the Rev. R. M. Overstreet organized Pleasant Hill Presbyterian Church in 1857. That church stood at Bagdad, which had three churches by 1882. After the railroad bypassed Bagdad, the congregation moved to the new town in 1884, and Sarah J. Walker deeded the land to the trustees in 1895. Later records call the Bagdad church Bagdad Presbyterian.

What the plaque says

Leander Presbyterian Church Organized in 1857 by the Rev. R. M. Overstreet, this church was originally known as Pleasant Hill Presbyterian Church and was located in the town of Bagdad. When the new railroad bypassed Bagdad in 1882 and the town of Leander was founded on the rail line, the church members voted to move their congregation to the new town. A church building was erected in 1884, on land belonging to church member Sarah J. Walker, who deeded the property to church trustees in 1895. Many descendants of early members remain active in the life of the church. (1986)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Inner Space Cavern — 10 mi
  A Georgetown cave found in 1963 when highway engineers drilled test holes, holding Pleistocene fossils and 72-degree rooms that visitors reach by an artificial tunnel.
• The Round Rock — 11 mi
  A table-shaped stone in Brushy Creek gave Round Rock its name in 1854; the Chisholm Trail crossed the creek near it, and Old Town stayed behind when the railroad pulled the town east.
• Williamson County Courthouse — 11 mi
  The fifth Williamson County courthouse, a Beaux Arts building by C. H. Page, rises over a Georgetown square of more than 50 Victorian-era buildings.
• Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge: Doeskin Ranch — 13 mi
  A free federal refuge north of Lake Travis kept for two songbirds that need old juniper and oak, with trails at the Doeskin Ranch unit near Bertram.

More markers nearby

• Leander United Methodist Church — steps away
• Leander — 0.2 mi
• Leander Schools — 0.3 mi
• Norton Moses Lodge No. 336, A.F. & A.M. — 0.7 mi