History of the First Baptist Church, Austin, Texas Page: 20
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build a new home. In order to start at all it was
deemed necessary that there be ten members who would
agree to give $2,000.00 each. I remember how eagerly
we waited to see whether the men would be found
rich and generous enough to pledge so large an amount,
for the First Church has never had any marked
amount of wealth among its members. At last the
announcement came that the pledges had been secured;
and the committee began to wait upon the
other members for subscriptions to be given in the
form of notes. The response was good. The Committee,
of which Mr. W. H. Badger was chairman,
made satisfactory financial arrangement with the Mercantile
Trust Company of St. Louis, and the American
National Bank of Austin, so the work could now be
begun.
On March 1, 1915, the contract was let to Jas Watterson
of Austin, he agreeing to carry a note for
$5,000.00, payable in five years. The organization
moved its work to the old Tabernacle, an immense
wooden structure located on the block that is now the
Park between West Fourth and West Fifth Streets.
Later the First Presbyterian Church invited us to
worship with them, and for a number of months our
Sunday School met in their building simultaneously
with theirs, and the church service was held together.
Few more brotherly and generous acts are recorded
in church history.
I do not like to say that on March 10, 1915, they
began to tear down the historic old stone church. It
had played such an important part in the lives of most
of us. Many felt as a friend of mine said to me: "I
hated to see it torn down, for every time I walked into
it I could see in memory my father and my mother
as they sat in their particular pew far down in front."
As much as possible was done for sentiment's sake.
I mean the stone from the old structure was put into
the foundation of the new building, and the bell was
assigned a home in the new building. But the furnish.
-20
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Brooks, Mrs. V. L. History of the First Baptist Church, Austin, Texas, book, 1923; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth33019/m1/21/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Austin History Center, Austin Public Library.