DUANE
Duane's take
Here's the story as the official marker tells it, and I'm just the one drivin' you through it. Back in 1875, a hurricane came roaring into Indianola — a coastal town that, let's just say, did not come out the other side looking the same. The survivors of that storm made their way to Corpus Christi, and they did what people of faith do when the world has just tried its hardest to undo them: they organized.
They built a congregation — a Baptist church for African Americans — and they named it St. John Free Mission Baptist Church. Now, they didn't have a sanctuary right away.
In the beginning, they met in a barn. Let that sit with you a moment. A barn.
But by 1876, they had built themselves a proper sanctuary, standing at the corner of North Broadway and Twigg. That building served them well, until 1910, when the whole structure was moved to a new site at 1305 Ramirez Street. Moved.
The whole thing. That's not a small decision, and it's not a small congregation. Then in 1921, something shifted again — the church brought on its first full-time pastor, and worship services began in earnest under that steady hand.
The membership kept growing, and before 1940, a new church building was erected to hold them all. By 1945, they'd added an annex on top of that. But here's one of my favorite details in this whole story.
St. John's wasn't just a place of worship — it was a place of music. The church supported a choir, a church band, and a Glee Club quartet.
That quartet got broadcast on four local radio stations. For several years. Now I don't know what your radio dial looked like in those days, but four stations is not nothing.
That's a sound that carried. In 1958, the congregation purchased three and a half acres of land — right here at this very site. They began construction on a new church building, and the first phase of that building program was completed in October of 1961, bringing new rooms for church activities and sports facilities.
The work wasn't done, though. They kept building, kept planning, kept gathering — until May of 1969, when a brand new sanctuary was finished and dedicated, completing the building program that had begun over a decade before. From a barn in the aftermath of an 1875 hurricane, to a dedicated sanctuary in 1969 — St.
John Baptist Church didn't just survive the storm that started its story. It built something that outlasted it.
What the marker says
Survivors of an 1875 hurricane that hit the coastal town of Indianola moved to Corpus Christi and organized a baptist church for African Americans. Named St. John Free Mission Baptist Church, the congregation met in a barn until a sanctuary was built in 1876 at the corner of North Broadway and Twigg. The building was moved in 1910 to a new site at 1305 Ramirez Street. The first full-time pastor began holding worship services in 1921. A new church building was erected before 1940 to accommodate the growing membership, and an annex was added by 1945. Musical programs supported by the church included a choir, church band, and Glee Club quartet that was broadcast by four local radio stations for several years. In 1958, the congregation purchased 3.5 acres of land at this site and began construction of a new church building. The first phase of the building program, completed in October 1961, included several new rooms for church activities and sports facilities. A new sanctuary was finished and dedicated in May 1969, completing the building program. The church was supported many community activities and several social outreach ministries, and maintains active programs for its membership.