Addison in Dallas County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
White Rock Chapel
Formed in the Freedman's Community of Upper White Rock (settled by former slaves from the nearby Coit, Caruth and Obier plantations), White Rock Chapel Methodist Church was organized after a meeting at the home of George Coit. Founding members purchased land on White Rock Creek beside a small African American burial ground in early 1884 and constructed a log building. The first pastor, the Rev. Mr. Burse, served about 28 families until 1914.
Frequent flooding was a problem for the congregation. According to oral history, the congregation sometimes spend days inside the building waiting for floodwaters to recede. A 1918 deluge drowned a family after a service; soon after, the congregation moved to this site on higher ground only a few hundred feet to the west. It was donated by S.S. Noell, an Anglo who was a frequent visitor to White Rock Chapel. The congregation was renamed Christian Chapel, C.M.E., in honor of its pastor, C.C. Christian.
In 1960, a church member donated more land about a mile south. Most of the original congregation decided to relocate. After enduring the loss of their building from fire, remaining members reclaimed their original name, calling themselves White Rock Chapel Independent Methodist Church. In the fall of 1969, a large corporation claimed ownership of the three acres known as the White Rock Union Graveyard. Area churches banded together to fight the claim in court, securing a temporary restraining order. White Rock Chapel trustees continued the legal battle to preserve the land on which their church first met, finally prevailing in 1979. By the end of the 20th century, the church served a wide area of Dallas County, including residents of the cities of Dallas, Grand Prairie, Garland and Carrollton.
Erected 2000 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 11840.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Churches & Religion. In addition, it is included in the Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church series list.
Location. 32° 56.81′ N, 96° 48.65′ W. Marker is in Addison, Texas, in Dallas County. Marker is on Celestial Road east of Winnwood Road, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5555 Celestial Road, Addison TX 75001, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Mount Pisgah Missionary Baptist Church (approx. 0.7 miles away); Addison State Bank (approx. 1.4 miles away); Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church (approx. 1.7 miles away); Mount Calvary Cemetery (approx. 2.3 miles away); Anderson Bonner (approx. 2.7 miles away); First Baptist Church of Renner (approx. 2.9 miles away); The Hockaday School (approx. 3 miles away); Frankford (approx. 3 miles away).
Credits. This page was last revised on April 20, 2020. It was originally submitted on April 20, 2020, by Kayla Harper of Dallas, Texas. This page has been viewed 621 times since then and 50 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 20, 2020, by Kayla Harper of Dallas, Texas. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.