Saint John Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
Sherman, Grayson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This church, organized in 1875 as Saint John Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Chapel, held its initial services in a sanctuary located in a local community of freedmen known as “Brushtown”. The Rev. E.W. Moseley (1854-1911) served as its first pastor. The church relocated here in 1912 and in 1926 contractors J.A. Simmons and Jerry Wall completed this 2-story Greek Revival sanctuary during the pastorship of the Rev. J.E. Raines. It features a central pedimented temple entry with four ionic columns rising from a grand entry staircase; defined bays on all sides; and pilasters. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1993
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Organized in 1875 in a freedmen's community known as Brushtown, this congregation belonged to the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church, a denomination formed by formerly enslaved Methodists after the Civil War. The Rev. E. W. Moseley served as its first pastor before the church relocated and, in 1926, raised this imposing two-story Greek Revival sanctuary with a columned temple entry rising from a grand staircase. It stands as a monument to Black religious life in Reconstruction and early-twentieth-century Sherman.
Why it matters
CME congregations gave newly freed African Americans an independent spiritual home, and their ambitious sanctuaries expressed the aspirations of Black communities across the South.
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Related people
- · E. W. Moseley
- · J. E. Raines
Themes & tags
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