Saint Paul Baptist Church
Melissa, Collin County, Texas
Marker Inscription
One of Collin county's oldest black congregations, this church was organized in 1872 by the Rev. Jeff Shirley of Kentucky. Members worshiped beneath a brush arbor before constructing their first church building in 1885 on land purchased from T.E. Shirley. Three years later, Shirley sold them acreage adjacent to Melissa Cemetery for a church burial ground. After the original sanctuary was destroyed by a tornado on April 13, 1921, a new frame building was erected. For over 100 years, this fellowship has held an annual homecoming celebration in May. (1978) Incise on back: Faithful Families Sanders Clayton Thomas Hawkins Perry Thornton Johnson Crockett Frazier Carter Jackson
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Organized in 1872 by the Rev. Jeff Shirley of Kentucky, Saint Paul Baptist Church is among the oldest Black congregations in Collin County. Its members first worshiped under a brush arbor before raising a frame sanctuary in 1885 on purchased land, later acquiring an adjoining burial ground. Even after a 1921 tornado destroyed the building, the congregation rebuilt and has gathered every May for more than a century of homecoming celebrations.
Why it matters
Founded in the first decade after emancipation, the church shows how newly freed African Americans built enduring institutions of faith, land ownership, and community in Reconstruction-era Texas.
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Related people
- · Rev. Jeff Shirley
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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