Temple in Bell County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Corinth Missionary Baptist Church

Photographed By James Hulse, September 28, 2022

1. Corinth Missionary Baptist Church Marker

Inscription. Corinth Missionary Baptist Church has its roots in Temple Chapel Baptist Church, which organized around 1881 as one of the area's earliest African-American congregations. African Americans needed a place of worship as they migrated to the new town of Temple, established by the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railway, primarily to work as laborers. Membership grew and the church, also known as Second Baptist Church, had a Sunday school by 1897, but by the early years of the 20th century, it began to experience difficulties. Some members left to form another congregation. In 1908, the church was destroyed by a fire. In 1913, leaders and members of Temple Chapel Baptist Church continued worshipping at the same location under the name Corinth Missionary Baptist Church. A new building was erected in 1916; the structure was replaced in 1951 and renovated in 1964 and 1996.

During its history, Corinth Missionary Baptist Church has played an active role in the community, offering youth activities related to drug awareness and programs on civil rights and African-American history; the church has also offered scholarship funds for area students. The congregation has hosted annual meetings of the Lincoln District Missionary Baptist Association and events related to social issues. The church has also focused on teaching ministries and on outreach

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through auxiliaries and participation in missions, including the 1954 plant of Macedonia Baptist Church of Temple. Today, Corinth Missionary Baptist Church continues to serve as a spiritual and social leader in the Temple community.

Erected 2010 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 16470.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Churches & Religion. A significant historical year for this entry is 1881.

Location. 31° 5.49′ N, 97° 20.262′ W. Marker is in Temple, Texas, in Bell County. Marker is at the intersection of South 10th Street and East Avenue D, on the left when traveling south on South 10th Street. The marker is located on the west side of the church. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 321 South 10th Street, Temple TX 76501, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Wayman Chapel A.M.E. Church (within shouting distance of this marker); Eighth Street Baptist Church (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Grace United Methodist Church (approx. 0.3 miles away); Knob Creek Lodge No. 401 (approx. 0.4 miles away); City of Temple (approx. 0.4 miles away); Site of Organization of the Texas Forestry Association (approx. 0.4

The Corinth Missionary Baptist Church Marker along the west wall of the church image. Click for full size.

Photographed By James Hulse, September 28, 2022

2. The Corinth Missionary Baptist Church Marker along the west wall of the church

miles away); First United Methodist Church Of Temple (approx. half a mile away); Temple Public Library (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Temple.

Also see . . . African-American Churches. Texas State Historical Association

African Americans who entered Texas from the 1820s through the Civil War years generally did so as slaves. In this country they developed a faith born from the union of African traditions and Christian evangelism. Through the eighteenth century slave traders delivered cargoes of men and women either recently enslaved in Africa or transported from plantation islands in the Caribbean. The former usually had had little contact with Christianity, though the Catholic Church had long maintained missions in sub-Saharan Africa. The latter had nurtured the concepts, rituals, and customs of Africa in the diaspora. The Europeans with whom slaves had contact on the plantations of Barbados and elsewhere in the Caribbean basin exerted scant influence on slave religion. By the time owners and traders began transporting slaves to Texas, however, distinctively African-American patterns of worship had evolved. Most slaves had some form of
Photographed By James Hulse, September 28, 2022

3. The view of the Corinth Missionary Baptist Church and Marker
contact with organized Christian churches and merged the ideas they learned there with what they remembered individually or collectively from Africa.

(Submitted on October 6, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

Credits. This page was last revised on October 6, 2022. It was originally submitted on October 5, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 88 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 6, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.