Little Egypt
Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The rural settlement of Little Egypt began when former slave Jeff Hill bought a tract of approximately thirty acres of land across Thurgood Lane from this marker in 1883. By the 1920s, the Egypt Chapel Baptist Church and a one-room school had been added to a growing number of homesteads on the tract. Due to Little Egypt's early establishment and distance from Dallas, for more than seventy years it retained many of its rural characteristics despite the growing encroachment of urban development. In 1962, however, the entire community collectively sold their property to developers. The church was relocated to south Dallas, where it remains as a testament to African American accomplishment and perseverance in Texas. (2018)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Little Egypt took root in 1883 when Jeff Hill, a formerly enslaved man, bought about thirty acres and began a settlement that grew to include the Egypt Chapel Baptist Church and a one-room school. Its distance from Dallas let it keep its rural character for more than seventy years, even as the city crept closer. In 1962 the community collectively sold its land to developers, and the church relocated to south Dallas, where it still stands.
Why it matters
Freedom colonies like Little Egypt, founded by formerly enslaved people who bought and held their own land, are enduring testaments to African American self-determination in post-Civil War Texas.
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Related people
- · Jeff Hill
Themes & tags
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