First Baptist Church of Gaston dedicates historic marker commemorating 200th anniversary

Gaston, SC 05/22/2025 - First Baptist Church of Gaston will dedicate an historic marker commemorating its 200th anniversary this Sunday May 25, 2025 at 12:15 p.m. immediately following the morning worship service. The marker, which was approved by the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, summarizes the church’s presence in the Gaston community over the last 200 years.

The marker reads as follows:

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FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF GASTON

This church was constituted in 1824 as Sandy Run Baptist Church. Its charter members included eleven men and ten women who organized under the leadership of William Pauling, Jesse Hartwell, and others. They named the church after the nearby Sandy Run Creek. Tradition holds that in 1834 the congregation moved to an area called Oakey Springs, which is near the present location, and built a wood frame church.

In the churchyard are marked graves dating to as early as the 1860s. A third church also of frame construction was built in the 1880s. The town of Gaston was formally incorporated in 1894. The fourth house of worship was a brick building completed in 1939. The congregation had around 350 members at that time. The church voted to change its name to First Baptist Church of Gaston in 1955. The fifth and current sanctuary dates to 1985.

Sponsored by First Baptist Church of Gaston, 2024