Pioneers arrived in this area as early as 1845 and established small settlements that developed into the Tripp, Long Creek, Hatterville, and New Hope communities. By 1882, Tripp residents attended church services in the local schoolhouse, and C.J. Washmon, a local grocer, served as an early pastor of what became Tripp Baptist Church. In 1906, the congregation began raising donations for a new sanctuary, and in 1916 Kaufman County resident Richard Linn donated the property. The building was dedicated in 1918 and was also used by the local Assembly of God congregation. In 1954, the Baptists remodeled the original white frame structure by adding a brick façade, three classrooms, a pastor's study, and a nursery, and later additions included a bell tower. Early church activities included summer revivals under brush arbors, often with other churches, and baptisms in area creeks, ponds, and cotton gin tanks. Over the years, members also took part in dinners, Christmas nativities, and educational programs, while regularly contributing to home, state, and foreign missions and continuing in service to members and the community. In the 1950s, Tripp consolidated with Long Creek, Hatterville, and New Hope to form the city of Sunnyvale. For decades, these communities had shared resources, including Long Creek Cemetery, where many church members are buried. The history of Sunnyvale includes the story of Tripp Baptist Church as a long-standing institution within the community.