Weeping Mary Community
Alto, Cherokee County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Freed African Americans organized the Weeping Mary Community following the Civil War. Two sisters who were born into slavery, Nancy (Ross) Lockhart and Emily (Ross) Skinner, purchased the land on which the settlement developed. The community and church at Weeping Mary were likely named for Mary Magdalenes weeping at the tomb of Jesus, though local folklore suggests other possible origins for the name. This historic area is located on a section of El Camino Real, roads developed by Native Americans and used by Spanish soldiers, pioneers and others throughout Texas history. As with most communities founded by freedpersons, in Weeping Mary most residents engaged in farming. Many were employed on farms in neighboring Wallace Town. Others would later work at the Indian Mounds Nursery, operated by the Texas Forest Service, and in other labor-intensive jobs. Children attended a school in the settlement by the late 1800s. The school had an enrollment of 40 in 1896. When it closed during World War II, students began attending school in Alto. Religious and social life centered on Weeping Mary Baptist Church. The congregations earliest structure was in Wallace Town. In 1957, a flood damaged the church building and members rebuilt it at this location. Weeping Mary Baptist Church continues to be a focal point for area residents, and remains active today, serving a community rich in heritage and tradition. (2008)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
After the Civil War, freed African Americans built the Weeping Mary Community on land bought by two formerly enslaved sisters, Nancy Lockhart and Emily Skinner. Named—likely—for Mary Magdalene weeping at Christ's tomb, the settlement grew along a stretch of El Camino Real, its families farming and, later, working area nurseries. A school by the late 1800s and the Weeping Mary Baptist Church, rebuilt here after a 1957 flood, kept the community bound together for generations.
Why it matters
It is a living example of the freedom colonies that formerly enslaved people founded across Texas, where landownership, church, and school became the foundations of self-determination after slavery.
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Related people
- · Nancy (Ross) Lockhart
- · Emily (Ross) Skinner
Themes & tags
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