DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Mother Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Matagorda County. Now, every good church story starts somewhere out in the fields — and this one is no different. Back in 1887, the Rev.
Basil Tolson, an African American farmer working the eastern reaches of Matagorda County, sat down with his neighbors and decided it was time. Time to build something that would last. Together, they formed a Baptist congregation and gave it a name: Mount Zion Baptist Church.
Tolson was elected pastor, and for years he tended that flock the same way a good farmer tends the land — with patience, with purpose, with an eye toward something growing. He served that congregation all the way until 1905, when he moved to Bay City. And here's where the story picks up speed.
Because Basil Tolson wasn't the kind of man who moved somewhere and sat still. In 1906 — just one year after arriving — he led a small group of people in organizing what would become Mother Zion Missionary Baptist Church, right there in Bay City. Now, a church is only as strong as the people who walk through its doors first, and the charter members of Mother Zion deserve to be called by name.
Isaac Wiggins. Manuel Mills. Simon White.
Martin Hardin. Allen Frazier. John Tolson.
Birdie Tolson. Harriet Peters. Nellie White.
George Edward McNeel. And Amanda Tolson. Those are the names at the foundation.
The Rev. Basil Tolson stepped in as first pastor of the new congregation, and his brother John Tolson was elected superintendent of the Sunday School. A family affair, and a community one.
Now, they needed a place to worship — a real one, with walls and a roof and a door you could open on Sunday morning. So in 1907, the Alamo Lumber Company built them their first sanctuary. And it stood.
It stood until 1909, when a hurricane came through and decided otherwise. The first sanctuary was destroyed. That could have been the end of the story.
For some congregations, it would've been. But not this one. The members rebuilt.
Quickly, the marker tells us — and that word quickly is doing a lot of work. They didn't scatter. They didn't quit.
They rebuilt, and eventually erected larger structures to house church programs as the congregation kept on growing. Over the years, Mother Zion has been active in community and foreign outreach — aid to the poor, educational programs for youth — weaving itself into the life of Bay City in ways that go well beyond Sunday morning. The marker says the church continues to play an integral role in the religious life of Bay City citizens.
One farmer. One year. One congregation.
And more than a century later, the doors are still open.
What the marker says
The Rev. Basil Tolson, an African American farmer in eastern Matagorda county, joined with his neighbors in 1887 to form a Baptist congregation which they named Mount Zion Baptist Church. Tolson was elected pastor, and served the congregation until he moved to Bay City in 1905. In 1906 Tolson led a small group of people in organizing mother Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Bay City. Charter members of the church included Isaac Wiggins, Manuel Mills, Simon White, Martin Hardin, Allen Frazier, John Tolson, Birdie Tolson, Harriet Peters, Nellie White, George Edward McNeel, and Amanda Tolson. The Rev. Basil Tolson served as first pastor of the congregation, and his brother, John Tolson, was elected superintendent of the Sunday School. The Congregation's First Sanctuary, built in 1907 by the Alamo Lumber company, was destroyed in a 1909 hurricane. The members quickly rebuilt, however, and eventually erected larger structures to house church programs. Throughout its history, the church has been active in community and foreign outreach programs, including aid to the poor and educational programs for youth. The church continues to play an integral role in the religious life of Bay City citizens. (1994)