Alanreed Baptist

The Alanreed Baptist Church in tiny Alanreed, Texas, stands as one of the most captivating and quietly powerful landmarks along the old Mother Road. Founded in 1904, the little white church is believed to be the oldest surviving church on the Texas stretch of Route 66, making it an extraordinary relic of early Panhandle history. As automobiles roared into the American imagination and Route 66 cut straight through the community, the church watched generations of travelers pass by its simple steeple. But like many small towns along the route, Alanreed’s fortunes faded with changing transportation patterns, leaving only a handful of residents today. We happened to meet one of those residents on our stop, Donna. She saw us wandering around the church taking photographs and before you knew it, she struck up a conversation with Grumpy Bob and was on her way back to her house to get the keys to the church.

Donna

Donna was one of the 16 residents who still called Alanreed home; most of the lots and homes were vacant or abandoned. She was gracious and gave us a full-fledged tour of the old relic, along with various historical bits along the way. She let us photograph as we wandered through the historic church, and we had a great time.

The church held regular services until 2007 and now serves a humble but vital role as the town’s tornado shelter, thanks to its rare basement. Weathered but still standing proud, the Alanreed Baptist Church remains a beautiful reminder of the people, faith, and frontier grit that shaped this remote corner of Texas.

Tornado Shelter

Donna also said that since we were in town, we should visit the small cemetery nearby and search for the infamous Tipton Gravestone. It took the four of us a while, but we finally located it, etched with the haunting words “Murdered in Cold Blood”—a blunt, frontier-style epitaph that hints at the violence and human drama that shaped these early settlements.

Inscription: “Murdered In Cold Blood”
Three Shot To Death
Alanreed, Texas, May 12, 1916– Three men were shot to death here early today in a pistol battle that followed an altercation in the town’s main street. The dead:
T. C. Clodfelter, garage owner
Roy Tipton, farmer
Joseph Hayes, laborer.

(From a Memorial Website)

We had a great visit with Donna in Alanreed, exploring the history of the town, which was one of our more memorable stops on the trip.

Thanks for stopping