DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Brewington Baptist Church in Houston County. Pull up a chair, because this one goes back a long way — and it starts, as so many Texas stories do, with people who had every reason to give up and chose not to. After the Civil War, the freed slaves of the Percilla, Augusta, and Glover communities made up their minds.
They were going to have their own church. And they didn't wait around about it. Brewington Baptist was promptly built on former plantation property — think on that for a second.
The very ground that had once held them was now the ground they were building on, on their own terms. The church took its name from its first pastor, Reverend Sam Brewer, and that name — Brewington — has carried ever since. By 1880, a small wood-framed church stood on Percilla Road, and it did double duty, the way frontier institutions tend to do.
It also served as the Elliott Springs School for the African American children in the area. One building, one community, two purposes — church and schoolhouse both, standing together on Percilla Road. That first building held on until 1906, when it burned.
Now, a lesser congregation might've taken that as a sign. This one did not. The second location for the church moved to the Covington family farm.
The third moved again, this time to the William Fillmore Murchison family farm. And the final, current home of Brewington Baptist — still standing, still serving — sits on what was also the former W.F. Murchison family farm, in the Augusta community.
Three moves. Every one of them a fresh start. And all along the road from Brewington Baptist to Augusta, there were other African American churches too, a whole corridor of faith running through East Texas.
They had varied beliefs and denominations, sure enough, but most held membership with Christian training institutions, and they found ways to work together. The Palestine District Association was organized, and out of that came something bigger. In 1909, the Bowen District Association of Houston County was organized.
Thirty years later, in 1939, the Bowen District consolidated with the Palestine District, and what they built together consisted of over fifty Baptist churches spread across Anderson and Houston County — all united to promote religious education and missions in East Texas. Fifty churches, two counties, one common cause. For more than a hundred and thirty years, Brewington Baptist Church has served that religious community — built by freed people on plantation ground, named for its first pastor, moved three times, burned once, and still standing.
That's not just a church. That's a story that refuses to end.
What the marker says
This church served the freed slaves of the Percilla, Augusta and Glover communities. A small wood-framed church was built in 1880 and served as the church building until 1906. This first location on Percilla Road also served as the Elliott Springs School for the African American children in the area. It is one of the oldest churches in Houston County. Freed slaves after the Civil War were determined to build their own church, and Brewington Baptist was promptly built on former plantation property. The church was named after the first pastor, Reverend Sam Brewer. After the first church building burned in 1906, the second location for the church was on the Covington family farm. The third location was on the William Fillmore Murchison family farm. The final and current location of the church is also on the former W.F. Murchison family farm in the Augusta community. The road from Brewington Baptist to Augusta was home to several other African American churches at the time. Though the African American churches and religious groups had varied beliefs and denominations of faith, most have held membership with Christian training institutions. County-wide Sunday School and B.T.U. Congress was organized after the creation of the Palestine District Association. In 1909, the Bowen District Association of Houston County was organized and later consolidated with the Palestine District in 1939. It consisted of over 50 Baptist churches in Anderson and Houston County areas that united to promote religious education and missions in East Texas. For more than 130 years, Brewington Baptist Church has served the religious community.