St. Peter's Baptist Church
Matagorda, Matagorda County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Though early records for St. Peter's Baptist Church were lost in heavy storms, the church is likely to have been organized by area African Americans in the 1870s. The heirs of Samuel Rhoads Fisher, who signed the Texas Declaration of Independence, deeded land on this site to the trustees of St. Peter's Baptist Church in 1879. After the St. Peter's Church building burned in 1928, members of the Matagorda Baptist Church gave their building to the St. Peter's congregation. In 1998 St. Peter's Baptist Church continues to worship in the traditions of their founders. (1998)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Likely organized by area African Americans in the 1870s, St. Peter's Baptist Church took root on land deeded in 1879 by the heirs of Samuel Rhoads Fisher, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. After the congregation's building burned in 1928, members of the nearby Matagorda Baptist Church gave their own building to St. Peter's so worship could continue. The church still gathers in the traditions of its founders.
Why it matters
It preserves the story of a Reconstruction-era Black congregation on the Texas coast, and the deep roots freedpeople planted in a community linked to Texas' founding.
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Related people
- · Samuel Rhoads Fisher
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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