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Martin Springs celebrates 140 years

Martin Springs celebrates 140 years
  • PublishedJune 3, 2022


Hopkins County is filled with old churches, and among the oldest is Martin Springs Baptist Church. This weekend, the congregation is celebrating 140 years of the fellowship that has brought them through more than a century.

The year was 1873, and Hopkins County was composed of over 200 small communities. One of those proud communities was Martin Springs, located on what is now Highway 11 approximately four miles outside the Sulphur Springs city limits. 

According to Texas State Historical Society, the community was founded when Alba Marie Ardis migrated from Forrest Academy to establish a homestead, and in 1877 sold that homestead to the man whose name the community now bears, Crofford Martin. 

“In honor of Mr. Martin and because of the abundance of spring water, the place is called Martin Springs,” the Pictorial History of Hopkins County noted. 

In 1881, according to the church’s current pastor Carey Gable in a News-Telegram article, a small group of families from the community got together to organize services at the clearing in the loblolly pines. They also installed a cemetery at the same time. 

“Martin Springs Baptist Church quickly became more than just a Sunday meeting spot,” Gable said in a 2021 News-Telegram piece he wrote. 

As early as 1885, according to Gable, MSBC partnered with other area churches to host socials, revivals, meetings and more. 

“It was a focal point for the community and a place to spend time,” he said. By 1893 the congregation had grown to over 100 members, which was most of the area’s population. 

Historical accounts from the turn of the century to the 1960s celebrate MSBC’s Fourth of July picnic, Christmas supper at the parsonage, the good deeds of the Womens’ Missionary Unit and more. Opened during World War I, the dry goods store/ grocery/ cafe called Martin Springs Grocery was “as good as any,” according to local Harry Hall in 1993.  

However, as the population of Martin Springs began to dwindle in the mid-1970s, so did the population of the church. 

It’s not as if there weren’t still exciting times for the community and its church. In 1978, two lions escaped from a community home where they were kept as exotic pets before being captured near the church grounds. And in 1992, Martin Springs Water Supply Company installed a water tower nearly as large as the one in Sulphur Springs, which gave the community’s economy a much-needed boost. 

Although many miss the days of potluck dinners and community clean-ups, MSBC wants to spend their 140th year getting back to their roots. 

“We in 2021 do not often remember the times when the cemetery was a place for family gatherings and picnics,” Gable said in the News-Telegram. “Few traditions of the 140 years carry into today.”

Therefore, the church is hosting a revival, on Sept. 18 & 19 from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Food, games, singing and gathering will be provided, and Gable says a special homecoming is prepared for former members and pastors who have moved away. 

A rededication of the ministry and a flag ceremony at the cemetery will follow. 

For those that remember having a nickel hamburger at the grocery or discussing everything “from politics to hay” after church, according to old-timer Larry Gumpert, a lot has changed in 140 years. 


However, opined Gable in the News-Telegram, “Some things, and people, remain.”

“Here’s to another 140 years in Hopkins County,” he wrote.

By Taylor Nye. Research from Hopkins County Genealogical Society



Written By
Taylor Nye

Taylor Nye is the editor of Front Porch News. She has degrees from the University of Wisconsin in human biology, Latin American studies, and public health. She has previously worked at the Wisconsin State Journal, Tucson Weekly and Sulphur Springs News-Telegram. As a sixth generation Hopkins County resident, she loves celebrating our heritage and history.