Port Arthur in Jefferson County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

St. Paul United Methodist Church

Photographed by Cajun Scrambler, April 5, 2021

1. St. Paul United Methodist Church Marker

Inscription.

In 1915, Reverend S.D. Hackett introduced Methodism to the historic westside of Port Arthur, creating Hackett Chapel, a black Methodist Church, with seventeen faithful members. The "prayer band" began meeting at the Ila Hall on West 7th street and then in members' homes. Hackett Chapel officially went on the Gulf Coast Black Conference record in 1920 as St. Paul Methodist Episcopal Church. The first church was erected through a grant from the board of home missions from Port Arthur College in 1920 at 848 Lincoln Avenue and opened in 1926.

In 1964, as church membership continued to grow, the church trustees began negotiations to purchase the O.C.A.W. Hall - Local 254, located at 821 Texas Avenue, as the new church location. On Sunday, November 14, 1965, the first church service was held at the new location and was led by Bishop Noah W. Moore, Jr., resident Bishop of the southwestern area. In 1968, Reverend Hubert B. Liedy, Jr., led the church through the United Methodist Church integration process. Through this merger, the church name changed to St. Paul United Methodist Church.

Despite their small congregation,

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St. Paul United Methodist Church served and continues to serve the westside community and beyond through many service programs, including local and foreign missions, clothing, food and school supply drives, youth mentoring and tutoring, and weekly meals for local residents. Locally and globally, the St. Paul United Methodist Church has served as a beacon of hope for over a century.
Marker is property of the State of Texas

Erected 2017 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 18716.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the United Methodist Church Historic Sites series list.

Location. 29° 52.072′ N, 93° 56.699′ W. Marker is in Port Arthur, Texas, in Jefferson County. It is on Freeman Avenue north of West 8th Street, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 821 Freeman Avenue, Port Arthur TX 77640, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Texas’ Golden Triangle.

It is also

Photographed by Cajun Scrambler, April 5, 2021

2. St. Paul United Methodist Church Marker

in the American South,

on the Gulf Coast,

and in 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 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Israel Chapel A.M.E. Church (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Rock Island Baptist Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Kansas City Southern Railway in Port Arthur (approx. 0.4 miles away); Port Arthur-Beaumont Interurban Railway (approx. 0.7 miles away); Remembering Ancestors (approx. 0.7 miles away); South County Office Building (approx. 0.8 miles away); Francis John (Frank) Trost (approx. 0.8 miles away); Lakeshore/Lions Park (approx. 1.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Port Arthur.

Credits. This page was last revised on July 12, 2022. It was originally submitted on April 24, 2021, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana. This page has been viewed 476 times since then and 18 times this year. Last updated on July 11, 2022, by Joe Lotz of Flower Mound, Texas. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 24, 2021, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.