By Dukes                                               H.R. No. 531
         77R9559 MDM-D                           
                                 R E S O L U T I O N
 1-1           WHEREAS, First Baptist Church on Heflin Lane is indeed
 1-2     deserving of special legislative recognition for its historic
 1-3     significance in the Austin community; and
 1-4           WHEREAS, The oldest African-American Baptist church in Austin
 1-5     and the second oldest church of its denomination in the city, First
 1-6     Baptist dates back to 1867, when a small nucleus of charter members
 1-7     organized under the leadership of the Reverend Jacob Fontaine; and
 1-8           WHEREAS, The church's first independent worship service was
 1-9     held in the rear of a blacksmith shop located at the corner of
1-10     Tenth and Congress; later, the congregation moved to the basement
1-11     of the First Baptist Church and held services there until about
1-12     1873, when members obtained their first building at Ninth and
1-13     Guadalupe streets; and
1-14           WHEREAS, The congregation settled into a new spiritual home
1-15     at the corner of Fourteenth and Red River in an impressive edifice,
1-16     built between 1895 and 1900 and featuring stained glass windows and
1-17     twin towers, that served the faithful for more than half a century;
1-18     in 1952, to accommodate the expansion of city facilities, the
1-19     congregation moved to its third building on East Twelfth, and since
1-20     the dedication of a new sanctuary in 1966, the church home has been
1-21     located at 4805 Heflin Lane; and
1-22           WHEREAS, Recognized in 1981 by the Texas Historical
1-23     Commission, the church continues to hold a special place in the
1-24     life of the Capital City; now, therefore, be it
 2-1           RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 77th Texas
 2-2     Legislature hereby honor First Baptist Church on Heflin Lane on its
 2-3     historic significance in the Austin community and to the State of
 2-4     Texas; and, be it further
 2-5           RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
 2-6     prepared for First Baptist Church on Heflin Lane as an expression
 2-7     of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.