Mount Zion Baptist Church
Cuero, DeWitt County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Mount Zion Baptist Church was organized on July 18, 1869, with fifteen charter members. The Rev. Mitchell Harrison (d. 1906) was the congregation's first pastor and is credited with naming the new church. The congregation worshiped in a number of places before permanently locating here in 1890. An outdoor brush arbor was built two miles north of Concrete (4.5 miles northwest), which was later replaced by a log structure south of Concrete. After a storm destroyed the log church a new wooden building was erected, which was disassembled and reconstructed at this site in 1890. The first worship service was held in the new building on October 31, 1890. The Rev. Mr. Harrison continued to serve as pastor of Mount Zion until his death. He was succeeded by the Rev. S. A. Pleasants, who served until 1923, at which time the Rev. N. E. Henderson became pastor, serving until his death in 1947. The church purchased a schoolhouse for use as a fellowship hall in 1951. The church building was renovated in 1956, with the original twin bell towers being replaced by a new steeple. At the time of its centennial in 1969 Mount Zion Baptist Church had been guided by only four pastors. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Organized in 1869 with fifteen charter members just after the Civil War, this Baptist congregation began in the open-air fashion of the era, worshiping first in a brush arbor and then a log structure near Concrete. A storm and a series of moves finally brought a wooden church to this site in 1890, where the first service was held that Halloween. Remarkably, only four pastors guided the flock across its first century, a testament to the deep continuity of leadership in a close-knit congregation.
Why it matters
Independent congregations founded in the Reconstruction years anchored community life and self-determination for their members, and this church's brush-arbor beginnings capture a formative chapter of Texas religious history.
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Related people
- · Mitchell Harrison
- · S. A. Pleasants
- · N. E. Henderson
Themes & tags
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