Milam County Historical Commission
Milam County, Texas
Milam County, Texas
Val Verde Baptist Church & Cemetery
From Davilla, TX: FM437 northeast for 5 miles; turn left onto CR2268 for 2 miles.
Val Verde Baptist Church and Cemetery
Val Verde Baptist Church traces its history to 1875, when eight members of the Baptist Church in Davilla joined together to organize a congregation closer to their homes. J. S. Mullins served as the first pastor of the new church. One of the charter members, James Putnam Whittington (1830-1909) was a veteran of the Civil War. A member of H. H. Sibley's brigade in the New Mexico Campaign, he had participated in the Battle of Val Verde. When the time came to name the new church, Whittington suggested Val Verde, and the other members agreed. The congregation met in a small schoolhouse until 1884, when Whittington donated this property for a larger sanctuary and community cemetery. A building was erected which served the members for the next sixty-five years. In 1949 a surplus army chapel was moved here from Brownwood to serve as a new sanctuary. Church members worked to rebuild the structure, and it was dedicated in January 1951. An annual church memorial day has been observed by present and former members of the congregation since 1982. The Val Verde Cemetery on the church grounds contains the graves of many area pioneers.
Val Verde Baptist Church
Val Verde Baptist Cemetery
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Val Verde church turns 135
Temple Daily Telegram - April 24, 2010
Val Verde Baptist Church will celebrate its 135th anniversary with a special service at 10:30 a.m. Sunday followed by lunch. A dramatization of the joys and challenges faced by the four founding families will be performed.
Alice Pierce, in the role of Sarah Mumford Taylor will recall the turbulent period between 1850 and 1875 in Bell and Milam counties. As she reminisces about a memorable Sunday in 1875, current church members will act out those events.
The roles of the Rev. and Mrs. Mullens will be played by the Rev. Richard Worden and his wife Judy.
Church founders will be performed by current members: Oel and LaVone Richey as Mr. and Mrs. J.P. Whittington, David and Charlotte Stroud as Mr. and Mrs. Sill Griffin, Roy and Wanda McCormick as Jacob and Sarah Pruett, and Lisa and Rick Miller as Alfred and Mary Evans.
The church received a historical marker in 1978 from the Texas Historical Commission.
The church is 8.5 miles east of Holland on F.M. 2268.
Temple Daily Telegram - April 24, 2010
Val Verde Baptist Church will celebrate its 135th anniversary with a special service at 10:30 a.m. Sunday followed by lunch. A dramatization of the joys and challenges faced by the four founding families will be performed.
Alice Pierce, in the role of Sarah Mumford Taylor will recall the turbulent period between 1850 and 1875 in Bell and Milam counties. As she reminisces about a memorable Sunday in 1875, current church members will act out those events.
The roles of the Rev. and Mrs. Mullens will be played by the Rev. Richard Worden and his wife Judy.
Church founders will be performed by current members: Oel and LaVone Richey as Mr. and Mrs. J.P. Whittington, David and Charlotte Stroud as Mr. and Mrs. Sill Griffin, Roy and Wanda McCormick as Jacob and Sarah Pruett, and Lisa and Rick Miller as Alfred and Mary Evans.
The church received a historical marker in 1978 from the Texas Historical Commission.
The church is 8.5 miles east of Holland on F.M. 2268.
