Morning Chapel Missionary Baptist Church
Sulphur Springs, Hopkins County, Texas
Marker Inscription
IN 1868, AFRICAN-AMERICAN RESIDENTS BEGAN MEETING FOR WORSHIP IN THE OLD TARRANT SETTLEMENT. UNDER THE REV. MIKE WIGGINS, THEY ESTABLISHED OLD TARRANT BAPTIST CHURCH. IN 1876, THE CONGREGATION MOVED TO THE INTERSECTION OF FRONT AND FULLER STREETS IN THE NEWLY DESIGNATED HOPKINS COUNTY SEAT OF SULPHUR SPRINGS. MEMBERS HAVE REACHED OUT TO THE COMMUNITY SINCE THEN. A 1974 FIRE DESTROYED THE CHURCH; THE BUILDING WAS REPLACED LARGELY THROUGH FUNDS RAISED BY OTHER CHURCHES AND BY LOCAL BUSINESSES. TODAY, MORNING CHAPEL MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH CONTINUES TO BE A SPIRITUAL AND SOCIAL LEADER IN SULPHUR SPRINGS AND THE SURROUNDING AREA.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1868, just after emancipation, African American worshippers in the Old Tarrant settlement gathered under the Rev. Mike Wiggins to form what became this congregation. When the new county seat of Sulphur Springs was laid out, the church moved into town in 1876 and has been a community anchor ever since. After a 1974 fire, neighboring churches and local businesses helped rebuild it, a testament to its standing in the wider community.
Why it matters
Black churches founded in the first years of Reconstruction were the bedrock of freedom—centers of worship, education, and self-governance—and this congregation's long life shows that role enduring across more than a century.
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Related people
- · Rev. Mike Wiggins
Themes & tags
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