History and Significance of Bastrop Christian Church

The Bastrop Christian Church is a Protestant Christian congregation located at 1106 Church Street in Bastrop, Texas. The church building, constructed in 1895, features New England Victorian architectural design and is one of the city's oldest surviving religious structures.

The exact founding date of the Bastrop Christian congregation is unknown, with no church records available before its charter on November 22, 1895. Earlier references include county documents, newspaper articles, and correspondence from Disciples of Christ evangelists. The earliest record dates to October 13, 1851, when Parson Wright H. Rutherford conducted religious marriages in Bastrop County and signed the certificates as the Minister of the Christian Church. By 1857 the Bastrop Christian congregation held services in the Bastrop County Courthouse and at the J. W. Kennedy corn mill and cotton gin. The church was led by Elder Thomas and Elder John D. McCall, who conducted the primary preaching services.

On September 25, 1867, Hugh K. McDonald, an early member, sold a parcel on Church Street (formerly Diagonal Street) to the Bastrop Christian congregation for one dollar. The church elders involved in the transaction were James H. Wilkins, Adolph A. Erhard, and J. M. Beavers. The congregation used this land and a small rock building, known as the "little rock church," for their gatherings. The rock building lacked a baptistry, and baptisms were conducted in the Colorado River. It is unclear who was responsible for erecting the original rock building. While the Bastrop Advertiser reported that McDonald and his wife donated lumber for its construction, church officials believe it was likely built by another party by 1862. They theorize that McDonald may have acquired the land with the building already in place and that the donated lumber was used for remodeling the building or constructing pews.

Early references to religious activity in Bastrop appear in the Millennial Harbinger, a religious magazine associated with the Disciples of Christ movement. The 1858, 1860, 1888, and 1892 editions briefly mention Bastrop and note that they had attracted several followers in the area. The limited record-keeping may be attributed to the Bastrop Christian congregation being perceived more as a local "movement" rather than a formal "church."

Throughout the 1890s the Bastrop Christian Church welcomed traveling preachers from across the United States, including James William Lowber and Addison Clark. Lowber was the chancellor and Clark was the co-founder of Add-Ran University, later renamed Texas Christian University. Research into the early Bastrop Christian Church highlights its close association with the Bastrop Advertiser, as one of the church's charter signers, Tom W. Cain, was the newspaper's founder. Cain was married to Stella Sanders, the daughter of B. B. Sanders, the first pastor of the church. In the late 1890s and early 1900s, the newspaper regularly featured notices of preachers, service schedules, fundraising events, sermon excerpts, and occasionally theological analyses and service summaries.

Discussions about replacing the existing rock church building began in April 1894. To support the construction, the Ladies of the Christian Church organization held fundraising events, including food drives, lectures, music performances, and opera and comedy plays. In March 1895 the building committee reviewed construction plans and announced in the March 16, 1895, edition of the Bastrop Advertiser that the new building would be an "ornament to the city." The Bastrop Christian Church posted a notice in the Advertiser on June 8, 1895, announcing the specifications of the construction project, and by June 22 the construction bid was awarded to contractor Slonaker for an estimated $3,400. The original rock building was demolished for the new construction, but the bell, previously from a Colorado River steamboat, was preserved. It should be noted that a 1955 source erroneously listed John White as the contractor, a mistake that was adopted by several subsequent sources.

On November 22, 1895, the Bastrop Christian Church was chartered as a nonprofit religious corporation for a fifty-year term, the maximum allowed at the time. The signers of the charter were church members Adolph A. Erhard, Albert Charles Erhard, and Tom W. Cain. Although the charter renewal date in 1945 was missed, it was renewed in perpetuity in 1978.

The first service at the new Bastrop Christian Church was held on February 23, 1896, and the building was consecrated by Reverend Homer T. Wilson. Local newspapers reported that the church anticipated a large turnout from Bastrop, Elgin, Smithville, and Taylor, for the inaugural services. Throughout the year, the Bastrop Christian Church saw high attendance, drawing individuals from other local Christian denominations.

The Bastrop Christian Church was designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1965 and received a historic marker medallion. From May 1970 to October 1978, the Bastrop Christian Church was inactive. The exact reasons for the hiatus are unclear, but prior disagreements over fund allocation for Christian missions versus local charities, combined with declining membership and attendance, may have contributed to the inactivity. During the period when the Bastrop Christian congregation was inactive, other Christian churches in Bastrop occasionally used the facilities.

In October 1978 the congregation was revitalized under Pastor Robert "Bob" K. Long. In the 1980s key supporters of the church’s reactivation included Cecil B. Long, former president of the First National Bank of Bastrop, as well as Claude Sharp, Jerry Woehl, and David Smith.

In May 1988 the city of Bastrop solicited bids for constructing the Bastrop Public Library next to the Bastrop Christian Church. Initial plans for additional parking lots were abandoned after church officials raised concerns about the library's proximity. In return, the church agreed to maintain the landscape between the two buildings. In January 1994 the Bastrop Christian Church established an ornamental garden with a cross outside the building; the area was designed as a public seating area.

The Texas Senate recognized the church's historical and architectural significance during its 100th-anniversary celebration with Senate Resolution No. 335 in February 1995. In 2003 the church added a new Education and Fellowship Building adjacent to the original structure. Bastrop Christian Church was featured in the film Angels Sing in 2013.

Bastrop Christian Church formed a preservation committee to address building repairs, starting with a roof replacement, in 2018. A 2021 study estimated total repair costs at $600,000, including work on damaged wood, stained glass windows, and the foundation. By May 2022 costs had exceeded the church’s savings, prompting efforts to secure financial aid, including a grant from University Christian Church in Austin. That same year Preservation Texas, a non-profit preservation organization, listed the Bastrop Christian Church building on its endangered places list and recommended preservation training for the congregation to develop maintenance plans and consider state historical preservation tax credits.

The Bastrop Christian Church, renowned for its New England Victorian architecture, also incorporates Carpenter Gothic and Queen Anne Revival design principles. Its tall steeple is a notable architectural landmark in downtown Bastrop. Although most original materials, including the pews, pulpit, communion table with twelve surrounding chairs, and the weathervane, remain intact, updates have been made over time to the siding, roof, floors, and environmental systems. The church's exterior frames are made of cypress, with interior walls constructed from Bastrop pine and trims of longleaf Louisiana pine. The sanctuary features a wooden archway separating the pulpit from the baptismal area, alcoves with pews, and carved sun ray designs. Restoration of the church’s stained-glass windows was completed in 2024.