[Texas Historical Commission Marker: Pilot Grove Baptist Church]

Photograph of the Texas Historical Commission marker for Pilot Grove Baptist Church in Pilot Grove, Texas. Text: This congregation traces its history to the establishment of the United Baptist Church here in 1848 on 3.5 acres of land donated by Hezakiah Warden. By 1850 the town of Pilot Grove contained the Baptist Church, a post office, grist mill, drugstore, several saloons, and a cotton gin. Warden donated an acre of land along Pilot Grove Creek to the Baptist Church in 1854. Pilot Grove Baptist Church was established as a mission of the United Baptist Church by Elders John A. Piars, Benjamin Watson, and George F. Calor, and a number of other charter members in 1858. Early worship services were held in members' homes and in a local schoolhouse until a sanctuary was built in 1876. During this time and until the early 1970s new converts were baptized in nearby Pilot Grove Creek. According to local tradition the original sanctuary was destroyed in a tornado and replaced with a new church building at this site in 1917. During World War II the town of Pilot Grove began a rapid decline and today is a small rural community with only this congregation and two cemeteries remaining. Pilot Grove Baptist Church nevertheless continues a tradition of hosting social events and providing worship services for the community. (1994