Original Town in Carrollton in Dallas County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
St. John Baptist Church
Carrollton Historic Site
Photographed by Kayla Harper, April 19, 2020
1. St. John Baptist Church Marker
During slavery, Negroes attended churches with their masters, many times to care for their children. After the Civil War, they were not allowed to attend church with white people.
This congregation formed circa 1890 with the original name "St. John Missionary Baptist Church" in response to this segregation. Site donated by Rev. Myers of Carrollton. It took several years for congregation to acquire funds to purchase the building, which originally sat at the corner of Crosby Road and IH-35E.
Building purchased in 1921 from Fannie Mae Bush for $250, payable in $25 installments. Building remodeled in 1953 to add foyer and restrooms, rebuilt in 2005 with community volunteers and donations to remedy significant dilapidation and structural defects. Building re-dedicated on January 6, 2007.
This site was once part of a vibrant, if modest, black neighborhood in south Carrollton. Services have been held continuously since 1921 except during rebuilding.
Erected 2009 by Carrollton City Council.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Architecture • Religion & Religious Structures.
Location. 32° 56.895′ N,
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in the Prairies & Lakes Region and in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Republic of Texas, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Blanton Grain Tower (approx. 0.3 miles away); Pioneer Park (approx. 0.3 miles away); Carrollton Train Depot (approx. half a mile away); Carrollton High School (approx. 0.6 miles away); Alex W. and Sarah Perry Homestead (approx. 0.9 miles away); Carrollton Black Cemetery (approx. 0.9 miles away); a different marker also named
Photographed by Kayla Harper, April 19, 2020
2. St. John Baptist Church Marker
Photographed by Kayla Harper, April 19, 2020
3. An additional St. John Baptist Church Marker
Photographed by Kayla Harper, April 19, 2020
4. St. John Baptist Church and Markers
Photographed by Kayla Harper, April 19, 2020
5. St. John Baptist Church
Photographed by Kayla Harper, April 19, 2020
6. St. John Baptist Church
Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 30, 2020, by Kayla Harper of Dallas, Texas. This page has been viewed 899 times since then and 62 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on April 30, 2020, by Kayla Harper of Dallas, Texas. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
