Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Shiloh. Even the name carries weight, drawn straight from the Bible, given to a community of displaced, newly-freed slaves that rose up outside Winchester, Texas, after the Civil War.

This was one of many such communities, people building something real out of almost nothing, in a place that would come to sit near what became known as the Shiloh Branch of the Colorado River. And the story of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church begins right there, at that site, in 1867. Now, 1867 was no ordinary year in that region.

It was the year of one of the worst yellow fever epidemics the area had ever seen. And yet, in the middle of all that, ex-slaves gathered in a brush arbor and held prayer meetings. Think on that for a moment.

A brush arbor, the sky for a ceiling, fever in the air, and people choosing to come together and pray anyway. That is where this church was born. They organized formally in 1872, and from that point on, Shiloh began helping build the very structure of the black Baptist church in Texas.

By 1874, Shiloh was one of sixteen churches that came together to form the La Grange Baptist District Association, the LGA. Sixteen churches, a whole web of faith and community, and Shiloh was woven right into the center of it. The LGA didn't stop there.

It soon joined the fledgling statewide Baptist Missionary and Education Convention, reaching even further. And Shiloh's reach went further still. In 1878, Shiloh members went out and founded Center Union Baptist Church over in Bastrop County.

These were not people sitting still. In 1894, Shiloh Baptist bought 3.2 acres of land, running from N. Raymond road to near Shiloh Cemetery, putting down roots in the earth as surely as they had in the spirit.

Then, right across FM 153 next to Cokesbury School, also called Coaxberry School, something remarkable happened in 1896. Shiloh AME, the church that would later become Shiloh United Methodist, was built right there, close enough to be neighbors in every sense of the word. Now here is where the story gets quietly extraordinary.

For one hundred years, those two congregations worshipped in each other's churches on alternating Sundays. A hundred years of that. And they opened their doors to each other for community events, sharing space and occasion like kin.

They even ordered their church bells together in the 1890s, which tells you just about everything you need to know about how those two congregations felt about one another. Back in 1914, Shiloh Baptist made a land trade, swapping its west two acres for one and a quarter acres to the south, pushing closer to FM 153. Then in 1916, the church burned.

The marker doesn't say it gently, so neither will I. The church burned in 1916. But these were people who had been building since a brush arbor in a fever year, and they built again.

A new church rose in 1917, nearer to FM 153, standing where the congregation could keep moving forward. Cokesbury School, which ran from 1890 to 1948, held a class in the church during the 1936 to 1937 school year, the building serving the community in yet another way. In 1983, the church was remodeled, and a dining hall was added in back.

From 1981 to 2011, Shiloh Baptist served as the sole steward of Shiloh Cemetery, keeping watch over the dead as faithfully as it had served the living. Among the noted pastors the marker names are Rev. Alexander L.

Boone and Rev. Anderson Denman. And here is the line from the marker that lands like a stone in still water.

Shiloh Baptist Church is the only surviving entity in Winchester that carries forward the history of its black community. From a brush arbor in 1867, through yellow fever and fire and a hundred years of shared Sunday bells, to standing alone as the last living witness of that community's history. That is one church, and that is one extraordinary story.

What the marker says

Shiloh was one of many communities of displaced, newly-freed slaves that sprang up after the Civil War. Named from the Bible, it was located outside Winchester, near what became known as the Shiloh Branch of the Colorado River. Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church began as prayer meetings by ex-slaves in a brush arbor at that site in 1867, the year of one of the worst yellow fever epidemics in the region. Organized in 1872, Shiloh helped build the structure of the black Baptist church in Texas. In 1874, it was one of 16 churches to form the La Grange Baptist District Association (LGA). The LGA soon joined the fledgling statewide Baptist Missionary and Education Convention. Shiloh members founded Center Union Baptist Church in Bastrop County in 1878. Shiloh Baptist bought 3.2 acres in 1894 that ran from N. Raymond road to near Shiloh Cemetery. In 1896, Shiloh AME, later Shiloh United Methodist, was built across FM 153 next to Cokesbury (Coaxberry) School. For 100 years, they worshipped in each other's churches on alternating Sundays and served as venues for community events. They even ordered their church bells together in the 1890s. In 1914, Shiloh Baptist traded its west 2 acres for 1.25 acres south to FM 153. In 1916, the church burned; a new one was built in 1917 nearer to FM 153. Cokesbury (1890-1948) held a class here in the 1936-37 school year. The church was remodeled in 1983, adding a dining hall in back. From 1981-2011, Shiloh Baptist served as Shiloh Cemetery's sole steward. Noted pastors are Rev. Alexander L. Boone and Rev. Anderson Denman. Shiloh Baptist Church is the only surviving entity in Winchester that carries forward the history of its black community. (2009)