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 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.
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2014-04-27
Val Verde Baptist Church, located on FM 2268 nine miles east of Holland and nine miles
south of Rogers, will have its 121st annual Val Verde Cemetery memorial service 10:30
a.m. Sunday, April 27, 2014. A pot-luck lunch will follow. For information, call 254-
541-6581 or email jard811@gmail.com
Temple Daily Telegram - 2014-04-26
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2015-01-29
Contact for Val Verde Cemetery is Mike Pierce - H:254-642-0206 and Cell:254-913-8060
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Erected 1988
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