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First Baptist Church

47 West Main Street
870-295-9131

Church History

On June 25, 1848, sixteen people met to organize a Baptist church in the community called Lone Pine, some three miles from Marianna. The church was called Old Liberty Church. The original church building was a log cabin twenty feet square. This church was reorganized in Marianna in September, 1868, according to official records.

Work was begun on the first church bulding in 1872 and was erected where the Community House now stands. Although the church may have met other places, records show that in 1875 the church was meeting in the courthouse. The first services in the new white frame building were held on the first Sunday in May, 1885. The pastor's salary was $25 a month and the congregation included fifty-one members.

The first church building was sold and land was bought where the church now stands. A buff brick building was built and was dedicated to the Lord on October 10, 1910. A fire completely destroyed the structure on November 9, 1941. The Mulberry Street Grammer School served as the temporary church meeting site while the building was reconstructed. The present building was dedicated to the glory of God on December 3, 1942. An educational wing was added in 1958 and a Family Life Center was built. in 2003.


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