Avenue L Missionary Baptist Church
Galveston, Galveston County, Texas
Marker Inscription
One of the oldest black congregations in Texas, this church grew from the slave membership of the First Baptist Church of Galveston, organized in 1840 by the Rev. James Huckins. By the early 1850s the blacks were worshiping in a separate building. In 1855 land for use by the fellowship, then known as the African Baptist Church, was purchased from Galveston City Company by First Baptist trustees Gail Borden, Jr., James Huckins, and John S. Sydnor. Following the Civil War, the property was formally deeded to the congregation, reorganized under the leadership of the Rev. I. S. Campbell as the First Regular Missionary Baptist Church. About 1903, during the pastorate of the Rev. P. A. Shelton, the present name was adopted. Prominent pastors here have included the Rev. H. M. Williams, 1904-33, moderator of the Lincoln District Baptist Association; the Rev. g. L. Prince, 1934-56, later president of the National Baptist Convention and of Mary Allen College in Crockett, Texas; and the Rev. R. E. McKeen, 1957-78, who also served as moderator of the Lincoln District Association. Since the 1840s, members of the Avenue L Missionary Baptist Church have played a significant role in the religious and civic development of Galveston.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This Galveston congregation traces its roots to the enslaved members of the city's First Baptist Church in the 1840s, who by the early 1850s worshiped separately as the African Baptist Church. After the Civil War the property was deeded to the congregation, which reorganized under Black leadership and later took the name Avenue L Missionary Baptist Church. Its pastors went on to lead district associations, a national convention, and a college, making the church a pillar of Black religious and civic life.
Why it matters
As one of the oldest Black congregations in Texas, it embodies the journey from bondage to self-determination, a story repeated across the South as freedpeople built independent churches that became engines of community and leadership.
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Related people
- · James Huckins
- · Gail Borden, Jr.
- · I. S. Campbell
Themes & tags
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