The Rev. R. H. Taliaferro of Kentucky organized the First Baptist Church in July 1847. Worship services were first held in the Capitol and later moved to a frame building at 12th and Lavaca. The congregation met in the 700 block of Congress Avenue until it built its first sanctuary at this site in 1857. The structure was remodeled in the 1880s. A larger brick church was constructed here in 1916. It was razed when the congregation moved to 9th and Trinity in 1970. Many governors, state officials, and prominent Austin families worshiped at this location. (1985)