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St. Paul United Methodist Church

San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

Marker Inscription

Organized in 1866, St. Paul United Methodist Church was the first established for African Americans in San Antonio. Its origins were in Paine Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church South, which many of the founding members attended prior to emancipation. In 1866, the Rev. A. Larkin Carper began conducting services in the homes of San Antonio's Black families. Paine Chapel soon deeded him a building and the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church was founded. With the Freedmen's Bureau, members established the Lincoln School for African-American students in 1866. Members built a frame building in 1872 on land donated by church member McDaniel Webster; a stone structure replaced it in 1884. The area surrounding church property became known as St. Paul Square. The current sanctuary was completed in 1922. St. Paul first focused on community work through a Benevolent Society. The congregation also played a major role in the civil rights movement in San Antonio. The Rev. Mack Henson became a well-known voice for equality in the late 1800s. Dr. Green J. Starnes and other members continued the work in the early 20th century, focusing on education, health and social justice. In the 1940s, the church established St. Paul House, which provided meeting space and housing for travelers unable to find adequate hotels due to segregation. In 1951, trustees purchased the former Brackenridge Colored School building, which became a community educational complex. In 1967, the name of the congregation became St. Paul United Methodist Church as a result of the United Methodist merger. Members have continued to aid the needy in the community and have focused on working with children. Today, St. Paul United Methodist Church remains a vital link to San Antonio's African-American history, while serving as a spiritual leader. (2010)

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Organized in 1866, St. Paul was the first church established for African Americans in San Antonio, growing out of a congregation many members had attended before emancipation. Working with the Freedmen's Bureau, members founded the Lincoln School for Black students that same year, and over the decades the congregation became a hub of benevolence, education, and civil rights activism. During segregation it even opened St. Paul House to shelter Black travelers turned away from hotels.

Why it matters

The church stands as a cornerstone of Black San Antonio, linking emancipation, the fight for education, and the twentieth-century civil rights movement in one continuous story.

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Related people

  • · A. Larkin Carper
  • · Mack Henson
  • · Green J. Starnes

Related events

  • · Emancipation

Themes & tags

African American HistoryCivil RightsEducationChurch

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