Fredericksburg in Gillespie County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Christian Methodist Episcopal Church

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 29, 2014

1. Christian Methodist Episcopal Church Marker

Inscription.
Several black families were residing in Gillespie County by the 1870s. A schoolhouse was built in 1877 on property adjacent to this later church site. Blacks probably met in the school for worship services before this church was completed 10 years later. In 1887 Oscar Basse deeded this lot to William McLane, Silas Russel, James Scruggins, and James Tinker as trustees of the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church. Members of the congregation erected this simple frame structure, with its small steeple, atop a native limestone foundation.

In recent years, when the local black community dispersed, use of the church building decreased and deterioration set in. Cora Phillips, widow of Paul Phillips, well-known Gillespie County veterinarian and church trustee, suggested restoring the structure for use by Youth Organizations United in 1974. The youth, representing half a dozen faiths, carried out repair and renovation work and gained national recognition for their endeavors. Dr. Robert Mosby, son of the black congregation's third pastor, the Rev. William H. Mosby, preached at ceremonies in February 1976, when the restored building was dedicated as the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church.

Erected 1977 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 10019.)

Topics. This historical marker

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is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Churches & Religion • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1877.

Location. 30° 16.161′ N, 98° 51.833′ W. Marker is in Fredericksburg, Texas, in Gillespie County. Marker is at the intersection of East Main Street (U.S. 290) and South Lee Street, on the right when traveling east on East Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 604 East Main Street, Fredericksburg TX 78624, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Ressmann-Boos House (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Kloth-Ludwig Home (approx. 0.2 miles away); Kiehne-Herrmann Home (approx. 0.2 miles away); Walch Home (approx. ¼ mile away); Nimitz Hotel (approx. ¼ mile away); The Garden of Peace (approx. ¼ mile away); Dedicated to all Those Who Served 3rd Marine Division during WWII (approx. 0.3 miles away); "Mahler Triplets" (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fredericksburg.

Also see . . . Christian Methodist Episcopal Church.
The Christian Methodist Episcopal (C.M.E.) Church is a historically black denomination within the broader context of Methodism. It's also occasionally considered to be a mainline denomination.

Christian Methodist Episcopal Church Marker (<i>wide view</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 29, 2014

2. Christian Methodist Episcopal Church Marker (wide view)

The group was organized on December 16, 1870 in Jackson, Tennessee, when several black ministers, with the full support of their white sponsors in the former Methodist Episcopal Church, South, met to form an organization that would allow them to establish and maintain their own polity. They ordained their own bishops and ministers without their being officially endorsed or appointed by the white-dominated body. They called this fellowship the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church in America, which it remained until their successors adopted the current name in the 1950s. (Submitted on December 10, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Christian Methodist Episcopal Church image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 29, 2014

3. Christian Methodist Episcopal Church

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 29, 2014

4. Christian Methodist Episcopal Church

Credits. This page was last revised on December 11, 2017. It was originally submitted on December 10, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 529 times since then and 114 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 10, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.