Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
Fredericksburg, Gillespie County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Several black families were residing in Gillespie County by the 1870s. A schoolhouse was built in 1877 on property adjacent to this later church site. Blacks probably met in the school for worship services before this church was completed 10 years later. In 1887 Oscar Basse deeded this lot to William McLane, Silas Russel, James Scruggins, and James Tinker as trustees of the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church. Members of the congregation erected this simple frame structure, with its small steeple, atop a native limestone foundation. In recent years, when the local black community dispersed, use of the church building decreased and deterioration set n. Cora Phillips, widow of Paul Phillips, well-known Gillespie County veterinarian and church trustee, suggested restoring the structure for use by youth organizations united in 1974. The youth, representing half a dozen faiths, carried out repair and renovation work and gained national recognition for their endeavors. Dr. Robert Mosby, son of the black congregation's third pastor, the Rev. William H. Mosby, preached at ceremonies in February 1976, when the restored building was dedicated as the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
By the 1870s several Black families lived in Gillespie County, and they likely first gathered for worship in a schoolhouse built in 1877 before erecting this simple frame church a decade later. In 1887 Oscar Basse deeded the lot to trustees of the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church, who built the steepled sanctuary atop a native limestone foundation. After the local Black community dispersed, youth of many faiths restored the building, rededicating it in 1976 to national recognition.
Why it matters
This little church documents a rarely told chapter of African American life in the German-settled Texas Hill Country, and its later restoration shows a community reclaiming that heritage.
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Related people
- · Oscar Basse
- · William H. Mosby
- · Robert Mosby
Themes & tags
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