Springfield Missionary Baptist Church

The plaque credits Rev. Riley Williams. Susie Sansom-Piper, in the Rockdale Reporter in 2010, tells it more broadly: a small group led by D. Tucker and J. Kendal began the church in 1872, and Williams became its first pastor in 1874, when it joined the La Grange Area Association. The two men bought the land in 1882 and the first one-room wooden building went up. Before indoor baptistries, members were baptized in a nearby tank or the San Gabriel River. The present brick sanctuary was finished on July 7, 1974.

What the plaque says

Springfield Missionary Baptist Church Members established this church in 1872, under the guidance of the Rev. Riley Williams. Though buildings have changed, the congregation still gather son the same land they met on that year. Members have emphasized outreach through both local programs and more encompassing missions work. They have also contributed to the community by working with various churches and associations and by producing annual programs. Additionally, the church has served as a focal point for social and religious gatherings in the African American community. Founded shortly after the town of Rockdale, the church continues to be a positive force in the community. (2006)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Milam County Courthouse and Jail — 14 mi
  Cameron's 1892 Renaissance Revival courthouse and the 1895 St. Louis-built jail beside it, now the county museum, are listed together on the National Register.
• Calvert — 29 mi
  A railroad cotton town of 1868 on State Highway 6 that claimed the largest cotton gin in the world and elected Black men to county and state office during Reconstruction.

More markers nearby

• Railroads in Rockdale — 0.3 mi
• Site of Mundine Hotel — 0.3 mi
• First Baptist Church of Rockdale — 0.3 mi
• George Sessions Perry — 0.3 mi