"These gallant men of our Armed Forces have fought for the ideals which they knew to be the ideals of their country."
Miss Lula P. Dilworth, Red Cross Nurse
Roy Bass
Truss Benson
John L. Bishop
Lonnie Boatright
Foster C. Bomar
Sidney S. DeBord
Jessie L. Day
James A. B. Dilworth
Elmo B. Ellard
Leonard H. Fowler
Alphons Fry
Edward L. Fulton
Lee Gilbert
Alfred E. Graham
Leon C. Harper
Jack P. Keith
Carl Little
Edgar Little
Hall Little
Thurbert Martin
Albert C. Mitchell
Andrew H. Parsons
Spencer C. Relyea
Charles W. Tucker
Jessie F. Walker
D. C. Wilber
Earnest A. Williams
Walter Williams
James E. Winn
Walter L. Woodall
James Powell Walker
fell in battle in France
on August 10, 1918
The image to the right is of the First Baptist Church, 1893-1909. This church building burned in 1909.
First Baptist Church of Ladonia
Marker Text:
Ladonia's Baptists trace their history to 1859, when the Rev. Robert Cooke Buckner began traveling from Paris, Texas to Ladonia to preach monthly services.
On January 8, 1860 the congregation formally organized as the First Baptist Church. The Rev. A. J. Moffat became the first pastor. Before the congregation built its first church building in 1877, services were held in a combination church/schoolhouse, where worshipers used split logs for seats for several years.
The congregation became actively involved in both Baptist affairs and missionary endeavors early in its development. In 1867, Ladonia was the site of the Baptist convention of eastern Texas, though attendance was somewhat low due to a yellow fever outbreak. However, the next year Ladonia continued hosting other Baptist events and participating in local, county, and regional association meetings. As early as 1869, women's groups were active in local missionary programs, and at the turn of the century the congregation as a whole began to support a nearby orphanage as well as foreign missions.
Throughout its history, the First Baptist Church of Ladonia has played an important role in the religious life of this community.
Location: 301 E. Main, Ladonia
The photos below are from the 1948 groundbreaking of the Education Building.