Cobbs Creek Missionary Baptist Church
Midway, Madison County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1883 a small group of people gathered together to organize a Missionary Baptist Cchurch. Named for its location near Cobbs Creek, the congregation called the Rev. E. W. Mitchell as its first pastor. Land at this site was acquired in 1901, and church members worked together to raise funds for a new sanctuary. The name of the church was changed to Elwood Baptist Church in 1962. Additional facilities were built over the years to accommodate the growing congregation, which continues to serve the community with worship and educational programs. (1991)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1883 a small group gathered near Cobbs Creek to organize a Missionary Baptist church, calling the Rev. E.W. Mitchell as their first pastor. The congregation acquired land at this site in 1901 and pooled its labor and funds to build a sanctuary, adding facilities over the decades as it grew. Renamed Elwood Baptist Church in 1962, it has continued to anchor the surrounding community through worship and educational programs.
Why it matters
Small rural congregations like this one were the social and spiritual backbone of post-Reconstruction Texas communities, sustaining generations through faith, fellowship, and mutual support.
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Related people
- · E.W. Mitchell
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Antioch Church of Christ
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Antioch Church of Christ traces its roots to a congregation formed on the Hayes Plantation and named for the biblical city of Antioch, making it among the oldest independent Black churches in Texas. After emancipation the church moved to Midway in 1865, where its building doubled as a school until a dedicated schoolhouse—later a Rosenwald School—was built. Through mergers and rebuildings across the twentieth century, the congregation has remained an active center of worship and outreach.
Marian Anderson High School
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Madisonville's first school for African American students opened in 1880 in a one-room building, moving in 1885 to land donated by the Rev. Neal McCloud. In 1926 a new schoolhouse funded by the Julius Rosenwald Foundation brought eight classrooms and a cafeteria, and the campus became a center for Juneteenth celebrations and community gatherings. Later renamed for contralto Marian Anderson, the school closed in 1970 as one of the last districts in the state to integrate, and its alumni still fund scholarships in its memory.
Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church
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Site of Bullard Community
Madisonville vicinity, TX
Alabama native Calvin Cullee Bullard brought his family to this stretch of land between Bedias and Caney creeks in 1867, settling 160 acres and opening a blacksmith shop in the community that came to bear his name. The Bullards and their neighbors farmed cotton and took part in county affairs, with family members serving as tax assessor and county commissioner. A one-room schoolhouse—also used for worship—operated from 1890 until 1923.