St. Paul United Methodist Church
Port Arthur, Jefferson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1915, Reverend S.D. Hackett introduced Methodism to the historic westside of Port Arthur, creating Hackett Chapel, a black Methodist church, with seventeen faithful members. The “prayer band” began meeting at the Ila Hall on West 7th Street and then in members’ homes. Hackett Chapel officially went on the Gulf Coast Black Conference Record in 1920 as St. Paul Methodist Episcopal Church. The first church was erected through a grant from the Board of Home Missions from Port Arthur College in 1920 at 848 Lincoln Avenue and opened in 1926. In 1964, as church membership continued to grow, the church trustees began negotiations to purchase the O.C.A.W. Hall – local 254, located at 821 Texas Avenue, as the new church location. On Sunday, November 14, 1965, the first church service was held at the new location and was led by Bishop Noah W. Moore, Jr., resident bishop of the southwestern area. In 1968, Reverend Hubert B. Liedy, Jr., led the church through the United Methodist Church integration process. Through this merger, the church name changed to St. Paul United Methodist Church. Despite their small congregation, St. Paul United Methodist Church served and continues to serve the Westside community and beyond through many service programs, including local and foreign missions, clothing, food and school supply drives, youth mentoring and tutoring, and weekly meals for local residents. Locally and globally, the St. Paul United Methodist Church has served as a beacon of hope for over a century. (2017)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1915 the Rev. S.D. Hackett brought Methodism to the historically Black westside of Port Arthur, gathering seventeen faithful members as Hackett Chapel. Recorded in 1920 as St. Paul Methodist Episcopal Church, the congregation built its first church on Lincoln Avenue and, through the 1968 merger that created the United Methodist Church, became St. Paul United Methodist Church. For over a century it has anchored the Westside through missions, food and clothing drives, and youth programs.
Why it matters
As a Black church founded in the Jim Crow South, St. Paul stood as a center of faith, mutual aid, and community strength for Port Arthur's Westside.
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Related people
- · S.D. Hackett
- · Noah W. Moore, Jr.
- · Hubert B. Liedy, Jr.
Themes & tags
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