Wesley Chapel A. M. E. Church
San Marcos, Hays County, Texas
Marker Inscription
traces its history to 1875, and is believed to be the oldest African American congregation in San Marcos. the first church building was erected on this site in 1879, and later was replaced by a succession of structures. The church operated a Freedmen's school for former slaves and their children in the 1870s, and has continued to support numerous community and charitable endeavors through the years. It remains an important part of the history of San Marcos and Hays County.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Wesley Chapel A.M.E. Church traces its roots to 1875 and is believed to be the oldest African American congregation in San Marcos, with its first sanctuary built on this site in 1879. In the years just after emancipation it ran a Freedmen's school, teaching formerly enslaved people and their children to read and write. Through a succession of buildings, it has remained a center of worship and community aid for generation after generation.
Why it matters
It shows how newly freed African Americans built churches that doubled as schools and mutual-aid societies, laying the institutional foundation of Black community life in the Reconstruction South.
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Themes & tags
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