Webb Community Baptist Church

Details

  • Marker: Webb Community Baptist Church – City of Arlington Local Landmark
  • City: Arlington
  • County: Tarrant
  • Location: Plaque is located at 7000 Zuefeldt Drive.
  • Date Visited: 06-01-24

Webb Community Baptist Church

Marker text:

In 1906, the citizens of Webb, a small farm community in SE Tarrant County, organized the Webb Baptist Church. M.C. Jackson was the first pastor when the congregation purchased a plot of land from Daniel Zuefeldt for $300.00. Construction of the building was completed in 1907. It appears today much as it did then with a cruciform plan and a slender belfry in the Texas Vernacular architecture style.

Before establishment of the church, Webb residents had to travel long distances for worship and fellowship. Inclement weather, combined with the black land soil and the unpaved roads made trips into nearby towns almost impossible. Webb Baptist Church became a unifying force for the whole community. From 1907 to 1985, nearly twenty pastors led the church, the longest serving being Dr. J.M. Price from 1928 to 1949.

In 1990, Webb Fraternal Organization, Inc. purchased the property for the purpose of restoration, preservation and maintenance of the buildings on the property for posterity. Since then, the church building has been the home of the Webb Masonic Lodge #1454 and Order of the Eastern Star Chapter #1140.

Additional information:

Webb Community Baptist Church was constructed in 1906-1907 and was used as a church until the 1980s. The Webb Masonic Lodge then purchased the property. In 2016, the structure was recognized as a City of Arlington Local Landmark to honor the history of the church and the community.

Webb was a small farming community believed to have been founded in the 1880s. Daniel Zuefeldt, a resident in the area, wanted to build a general store and cotton gin on his property; a small community formed around it. By the mid-1930s, it’s believed that Webb had 92 voters, a school with three teachers and 105 students, and two stores. The cotton gin was the community’s economic heartbeat.

Webb schools were incorporated into the Mansfield Independent School District in the 1960s; today, the area, including the former church is part of Arlington. The name “Webb” lives on through street names, a park, and the nearby (and much newer) Webb Baptist Church. Zuefeldt Drive, the location of the former church, is named after Daniel Zuefeldt.

Former Webb Community Baptist Church, now home to Arlington Webb AF & AM Masonic Lodge #1454 and Webb Chapter Order of the Eastern Star – Chapter #1140. | Photo taken: 06-01-24