Renamed after American Gov. Gen. Howard Taft, the town was formerly called Tubig (water).  A dependent mission of Palapag, Taft’s early history is sketchy, but by around 1749, Taft had a Jesuit resident missionary

In 1768, it was ceded to the Franciscans who assigned Fray Joaquín Polo as the first Franciscan pastor. Huerta attributes the Tubig church to the Society: “The church, under the advocacy of St. James, is of stone. So too is the spacious parochial house of stone.”

In 1846, Fray Manuel Lozano installed a new roof. He also built a new choir, 2 tribunas, and a sacristy. Huerta makes no mention of the quadrilateral fort that surrounds the church. There are no dates of construction available.

Heritage sites:  Greatly renovated, nothing much remains of the old Tubig church except for 13 massive pillars, which may have come from Jesuit times. The church walls and façade all of cement blocks are of new construction. So too the bell tower and the wooden covento beside the church.

Except for the fort’s northern quadrant, the defensive walls are still standing, though a bit difficult to trace because of too many structures built along its perimeter. Quadrilateral bulwarks stand at the remaining corners, and there is an unidentified round structure at the center of the northern wall.