Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church

Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church. . Shiloh was one of many communities of displaced, newly-freed slaves that sprang up after the Civil War. Named from the bible, it was located outside Winchester, near what became known as the Shiloh Branch of the Colorado River. Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church began as prayer meetings by ex-slaves in a brush arbor at that site in 1867, the year of one of the worst yellow fever epidemics in the region. Organized in 1872, Shiloh helped build the structure of the black Baptist church in Texas. In 1874, it was one of 16 churches to form the La Grange Baptist District Association (LGA). The LGA soon joined the fledgling statewide Baptist Missionary and Education Convention. Shiloh members founded Center Union Baptist Church in Bastrop County in 1878., Shiloh Baptist bought 3.2 acres in 1894 that ran from N. Raymond Road to near Shiloh Cemetery. In 1896, Shiloh AME, later Shiloh United Methodist, was built across FM 153 next to Cokesbury (Coaxberry) School. For 100 years, they worshipped in each other's churches on alternating Sundays and served as venues for community events. They even ordered their church bells together in the 1890s. In 1914, Shiloh Baptist traded its west 2 acres for 1.25 acres south to FM 153. In 1916, the church burned; a new one was built in 1917 nearer to FM 153. Cokesbury (1890-1948) held a class here in the 1936-37 school year. The church was remodeled in 1983, adding a dining hall in back. From 1981-2011, Shiloh Baptist served as Shiloh Cemetery's sole steward. Noted pastors are Rev. Alexander L. Boone and Rev. Anderson Denman. Shiloh Baptist Church is the only surviving entity in Winchester that carries forward the history of its black community.