Ebenezer Methodist Church
Marshall, Harrison County, Texas
Marker Inscription
On site used since 1867 for worship. First church was built and occupied 1868 when pastor was the Rev. Elijah Blair; second, 1892, under the Rev. Thomas Cole. The Rev. A. J. Newton began drive for third church, completed in 1958 under the Rev. J. F. Cox. Board chairmen in building eras were Mitchell Kendall, S. S. Reid, and Dr. T. L. Hunter. In century-long career, church has had 42 pastors. At centennial, pastor is the Rev. Simon Snell; chairman of trustees is Dr. N. H. Anderson. Ebenezer has been recognized as home church of bishops Willis J. King, J. B. Scott, and E. W. Kelly. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1967
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Worship has taken place on this Marshall site since 1867, with the first church built the following year under the Rev. Elijah Blair. Through 42 pastors and successive buildings—the third completed in 1958—Ebenezer Methodist grew into a pillar of its community. It is honored as the home church of three bishops: Willis J. King, J. B. Scott, and E. W. Kelly.
Why it matters
Founded just after emancipation, Ebenezer reflects how Black Methodist congregations became engines of leadership, raising bishops who shaped a national church.
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Related people
- · Elijah Blair
- · Willis J. King
- · J. B. Scott
- · E. W. Kelly
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Fred Lewis
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Educator and NAACP officer Fred Lewis returned from World War II to a Harrison County where African Americans had been shut out of the ballot box for generations. Since 1878 a White Citizens Party had entrenched white political control, and an all-white Democratic primary, sanctioned by a 1923 state law, kept Black Texans from meaningful voting. Lewis raised funds and worked with statewide NAACP leaders to carry the case of Perry v. Cyphers to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. In 1951 the court struck down the white primary in Harrison County, restoring the vote to its African American citizens.
Matthew W. Dogan, Sr.
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Melvin B. Tolson
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