Antioch Missionary Baptist Church
Palestine, Anderson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
According to local tradition this congregation traces its origin to informal services held in various homes in Palestine as early as 1856. Although referred to as "Antioch Under the Hill" the congregation was formally named Antioch Baptist Church in 1873. The church built its first sanctuary that year on land deeded to the Rev. Bristow Smith, Bob Johnson, Virgil Campbell, and Thomas Hughes by John H. Reagan. Church membership increased and in 1885 and again in 1887 the congregation purchased town lots near here for the purpose of building a parsonage and a new sanctuary which was completed in 1895. Two ministers, the Rev. T. W. Dailey and the Rev. J. B. Atkins, are credited with substantially improving church facilities during the first quarter of the 20th century. The church building, which had served the congregation well, was destroyed by fire in 1962. Services were subsequently held in a community center until a new sanctuary was erected at this site in 1964. The structure was later remodeled for use as a fellowship hall with the construction of a new church building here in 1980. Antioch continues to serve the local African American community with a variety of Christian educational and family programs. (1993)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This congregation grew from informal home services held in Palestine as early as 1856 and was formally organized as Antioch Baptist Church in 1873, once known as "Antioch Under the Hill." It built its first sanctuary that year on land deeded by John H. Reagan and steadily expanded through the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, weathering a devastating 1962 fire before rebuilding. For generations Antioch has anchored Palestine's African American community with worship, education, and family programs.
Why it matters
Founded in the years surrounding emancipation, independent Black churches like Antioch became the spiritual, educational, and organizational heart of African American life across the postwar South.
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Related people
- · John H. Reagan
- · Bristow Smith
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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