HistoricSiteMarkers
Reconstruction & Gilded Age

Shiloh Baptist Church

Plano, Collin County, Texas

Marker Inscription

This congregation was organized in 1884 as the Mt. Zion Colored Baptist Church. Led by the Rev. Z.T. Stuart, the charter members were Ammon Drake, Lula Drake, Minnie Drake Stuart, and Kanzetta Bowen. Located at this site since its organization, the congregation has worshiped in four buildings. The first sanctuary was a small structure lighted by coal oil lamps and heated by a wood burning stove. The current church building was constructed in 1964. Throughout its history, Shiloh Baptist Church has served its community with worship, education, and outreach programs. (1988)

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Organized in 1884 as the Mt. Zion Colored Baptist Church under the Rev. Z.T. Stuart, this congregation was founded by a small group of charter members in the decades after emancipation, when Black communities across Texas built their own churches as centers of faith and self-determination. Its first sanctuary was a modest structure lit by coal-oil lamps and warmed by a wood stove; the present building dates to 1964. Across four buildings on the same site, the church has served its community through worship, education, and outreach.

Why it matters

Founded by formerly enslaved families and their descendants, Shiloh Baptist reflects how the Black church became the enduring anchor of African American community life after the Civil War.

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Related people

  • ยท Rev. Z.T. Stuart

Themes & tags

Nearby & related markers

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