First Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church
Houston, Harris County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church was established in 1891 in the Fifth Ward of Houston. It is one of the oldest African American Baptist churches in the area. The congregation was made up of displaced Shreveport residents, who were forced to leave after the flood of 1890 left them without homes or jobs. The first pastor, Rev. Judge P. Parker, led his small congregation in houses for three years until they rented the Colored Odd Fellows Hall on McMillan St. The church was commonly referred to as “The Louisiana Church.” In 1898, property was purchased in the 2900 block of Providence St. and a brush arbor was constructed on the site. The first permanent edifice, a large stone structure with a baptistery, was erected in the early 1900s. In 1947, the congregation purchased land adjacent to the church and built a two-story brick building for educational purposes. The church moved to its current site on Lyons Ave. in 1953 when the property at Providence St. was sold to the City of Houston. The congregation’s new worship facility was designed by John Saunders Chase, Jr., Texas’ first licensed African American architect. The church was renamed First Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church when the new building was finished in 1955. Noted church members include Louise Ozelle Martin, the church’s official photographer, who chronicled Houston’s black society and opened a photography school; and Catherine Adams, who had a city park named in her honor due to her work with community organizations and area youth. In 1985, the B. H. Roberts Institute was established to honor the late pastor who served the community for 35 years. The church still serves as a place of worship for the now diverse Fifth Ward community. (2014)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Founded in 1891 in Houston's Fifth Ward by families displaced from Shreveport after the 1890 flood, Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church became one of the area's oldest African American Baptist congregations—so tied to its roots that neighbors called it "The Louisiana Church." From homes and a rented Odd Fellows hall it grew to a brush arbor, then a stone edifice, and finally a 1955 building designed by John Saunders Chase, Jr., the first licensed African American architect in Texas. Members like photographer Louise Ozelle Martin, who chronicled Houston's Black society, gave the church a wide cultural reach.
Why it matters
The church tells a century-long story of African American faith, migration, and self-organization in Houston, and of the Black institutions and professionals who built enduring community anchors.
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Related people
- · Rev. Judge P. Parker
- · John Saunders Chase, Jr.
- · Louise Ozelle Martin
Themes & tags
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