Mineola in Wood County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church
Photographed By Mark Hilton, September 1, 2019
1. St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church Marker
Inscription.
St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church. . Extensive settlement in this area began after the end of the Texas Revolution in 1836. The Texas legislature created Wood County in 1850, influencing further settlement. The community of Sodom developed here by 1871, when the Rev. John Branham founded St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church in the home of Pinkney and Bettie Brooks.
Charter members were Mandy Hall, Mariah Lee, Mary Garrett, Ellis Lee, Willis Oliver and Bettie Brooks. In 1873, renamed Mineola, the town boasted two new rail lines. That same year, St. Paul church members built their first sanctuary at the corner of Harris and Stone streets. The church held early baptisms in a creek near present Wren Street, and the congregation grew over the next decades. In 1897, it purchased this site and constructed a new sanctuary. Later, under the leadership of the Rev. T.B. Johnson, who served the church from 1914 to 1941, the church remodeled its early sanctuary. In 1958, the congregation replaced it with a larger structure.
The Rev. Johnson served as moderator of the East Texas Baptist Association, as did the Rev. Lawrence W. Pryor, pastor from 1945 to 1949, who was also president of the Baptist Training Union Congress. These men and other pastors, including the Rev. Charles Colquitt, who served for more than 41 years, helped establish the congregation as a long-standing Mineola institution. Other church leaders included numerous deacons, deaconesses, junior deacons, and men and women who served as trustees and in other capacities.
St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church continues to grow and serve the Mineola community as a tie to area pioneers, and as a place for worship, education, service and fellowship. . This historical marker was erected in 2005 by Texas Historical Commission. It is in Mineola in Wood County Texas
Extensive settlement in this area began after the end of the Texas Revolution in 1836. The Texas legislature created Wood County in 1850, influencing further settlement. The community of Sodom developed here by 1871, when the Rev. John Branham founded St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church in the home of Pinkney and Bettie Brooks.
Charter members were Mandy Hall, Mariah Lee, Mary Garrett, Ellis Lee, Willis Oliver and Bettie Brooks. In 1873, renamed Mineola, the town boasted two new rail lines. That same year, St. Paul church members built their first sanctuary at the corner of Harris and Stone streets. The church held early baptisms in a creek near present Wren Street, and the congregation grew over the next decades. In 1897, it purchased this site and constructed a new sanctuary. Later, under the leadership of the Rev. T.B. Johnson, who served the church from 1914 to 1941, the church remodeled its early sanctuary. In 1958, the congregation replaced it with a larger structure.
The Rev. Johnson served as moderator of the East Texas Baptist Association, as did the Rev. Lawrence W. Pryor, pastor from 1945 to 1949, who was also president
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of the Baptist Training Union Congress. These men and other pastors, including the Rev. Charles Colquitt, who served for more than 41 years, helped establish the congregation as a long-standing Mineola institution. Other church leaders included numerous deacons, deaconesses, junior deacons, and men and women who served as trustees and in other capacities.
St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church continues to grow and serve the Mineola community as a tie to area pioneers, and as a place for worship, education, service and fellowship.
Erected 2005 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 13750.)
Location. 32° 39.746′ N, 95° 29.668′ W. Marker is in Mineola, Texas, in Wood County. Marker is at the intersection of West Front Street and South Stone Street, on the left when traveling west on West Front Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 304 South Stone Street, Mineola TX 75773, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 5, 2019. It was originally submitted on September 5, 2019, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 206 times since then and 57 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on September 5, 2019, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
Extensive settlement in this area began after the end of the Texas Revolution in 1836. The Texas legislature created Wood County in 1850, influencing further settlement. The community of Sodom developed here by 1871, when the Rev. John Branham founded St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church in the home of Pinkney and Bettie Brooks. 
