Judson in Gregg County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Sherman Chapel Missionary Baptist Church

Photographed by Jeff Leichsenring, August 27, 2025

1. Sherman Chapel Missionary Baptist Church Marker

Inscription. Following emancipation, many African American congregations were founded in east Texas in the 1870s, asfreedmen, they wanted their own places to worship in their own communities. Established in the Judson community in 1870, Sherman chapel missionary Baptist church was organized with support from reverend Daniel Sherman. In the early years, the church building was shared with the Pleasant Hill Colored Methodist Episcopal Church (later named Christian Methodist Episcopal Church) until each congregation could construct a sanctuary.

The first location was on Freedmen's Ridge near Omega in northeastern Gregg County, a community formed after the Civil War for emancipated slaves. In the early 1940s, Sherman Chapel congregation briefly relocated to a site one-quarter mile north of here to a place known as "in the pines.” After a fire destroyed the building in 1945-46, the church congregation began to search for a new home. In 1947, land was purchased on State Highway 26 which was later renamed Highway 259, and construction of a sanctuary began.

The church commemorated the building's completion on March 9, 1952, when

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

they began their annual church anniversary celebration. In the 1980s, the sanctuary was rebuilt on the same lot due to the widening of the highway. For more than a century, Sherman Chapel Missionary Baptist Church members have nurtured, educated and fostered spiritual growth in the community with leadership and support. Throughout the decades and sometimes jarring changes, the congregation has remained a spiritual beacon for the families of the area.

Erected 2015 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 18258.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Religion & Religious Structures • War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is March 9, 1952.

Location. 32° 37.061′ N, 94° 45.569′ W. Marker is in Judson, Texas, in Gregg County. It is at the intersection of U.S. 259 and Farm to Market Road 449, on the right when traveling south on U.S. 259. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 7967 US-259, Longview TX 75605, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

and in

Photographed by Craig Doda, May 6, 2020

2. Sherman Chapel Missionary Baptist Church Marker

the Piney Woods.

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 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: New Providence Cemetery (approx. 6 miles away); Winterfield Methodist Church (approx. 6.7 miles away); Winterfield Cemetery (approx. 6.7 miles away); Temple Emanu-El (approx. 6.9 miles away); Rockwall Farm (approx. 7.8 miles away); Fisher Cemetery (approx. 8 miles away); Elmira and Aaron T. Castleberry, II (approx. 8 miles away); Martin Hays (approx. 8.2 miles away).

Photographed by Craig Doda, May 6, 2020

3. Sherman Chapel Missionary Baptist Church Marker

Photographed by Craig Doda, May 6, 2020

4. Sherman Chapel Missionary Baptist Church Marker

Sherman Chapel Missionary Baptist Church Cornerstone image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Doda, May 6, 2020

5. Sherman Chapel Missionary Baptist Church Cornerstone

Photographed by Craig Doda, May 6, 2020

6. Sherman Chapel Missionary Baptist Church Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on February 24, 2026. It was originally submitted on January 11, 2021, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. This page has been viewed 822 times since then and 69 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on February 20, 2026, by Jeff Leichsenring of Garland, Texas. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on January 11, 2021, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.