Mount Pleasant C.M.E. Church
Crockett, Houston County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Though Methodist worship had long been organized among area African Americans, the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church of America was founded locally as Mount Pleasant C. M. E. Church in 1885. T. H. Nelms deeded two acres of his former plantation land to church trustees S. Quantrell, J. Oneil, Sr., and A. Berry. The Rev. Peter Steward was first pastor. The Fodice school met in the church building until about 1900. A second building, erected in 1901, served until it was destroyed by a spring tornado in 1941. The Mount Pleasant congregation continues a proud heritage of worship. (1998) Incise on base: In Memory: Louise Jefferson Davis Davis (1927-1995)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Founded in 1885, this congregation belonged to the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church, a denomination formed by African Americans in the years after emancipation. Its two acres were deeded by T.H. Nelms from his former plantation land to Black church trustees, and the building doubled as the Fodice school until about 1900. A second sanctuary built in 1901 stood until a tornado destroyed it in 1941, yet the congregation carried on.
Why it matters
Independent Black churches like this were the cornerstones of African American community, faith, and education in the post-emancipation South.
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Related people
- · T.H. Nelms
- · Peter Steward
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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