Goliad in Goliad County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Minnehulla Baptist Church
Photographed by Dave W, November 29, 2025
1. Minnehulla Baptist Church Marker
Founded by formerly enslaved persons in the years following the Civil War, Minnehulla Baptist Church has served Goliad County for over one hundred years. After hearing a Baptist message in the area delivered by Isaac Smith, the Reverend Mitchell Harrison of DeWitt County led a group of residents to form a new church, including Almedia Beverly Swaizey, George Langley, Frank Wesley, Rebecca Spillman, Patsy Wesley, William Langley, Robert Gray, Charlie Shipman and Preston Kay. The group named their new congregation Minnewee Baptist Church after the creek that ran some 600 feet away. The name was changed to Minnehulla Baptist Church around 1906.
Swaizey and her husband purchased and donated land for a church structure. There, members built a brush arbor under which to hold services. When the brush arbor blew down in a storm, members constructed a log cabin with a dirt floor and log seats. In 1929, the log cabin also succumbed to a storm. Under the leadership of the Rev. B.W. Whitfield, 1.37 acres were purchased from the G.W. Simmons estate, about .25 miles from the original site. A wood frame church was constructed. In
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Minnehulla was a center of activity for community residents. Children attended Baptist Training Union and participated in "Sword Drills" and holiday presentations. The church building hosted weddings, christenings, funerals, community meetings, and holiday and accomplishment celebrations, for which area churches across seeral denominations would come together. The church held week-long revivalsculminating with baptisms. Minnehulla continues to provide hope and life to this rural community.
Erected 2023 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 23939.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1906.
Location. 28° 40.573′ N, 97° 20.44′ W. Marker is in Goliad, Texas, in Goliad County. It is on Lloyd Bentsen Highway (U.S. 59) west of Franklin Road, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3572 Lloyd Bentsen Highway, Goliad
Photographed by Dave W, November 29, 2025
2. Minnehulla Baptist Church Marker
Regionally, this marker is in South Texas. It is also in the American South. 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, and one of the Confederate States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Goliad Memorial Auditorium (approx. 2.8 miles away); First Baptist Church of Goliad (approx. 3 miles away); Judge James Arthur White and the Civilian Conservation Corps at Goliad State Park (approx. 3 miles away); Stoddard-Collins House (approx. 3 miles away); Cristo Rey Cemetery (approx. 3 miles away); Strength of Stone (approx. 3 miles away); Mount Moriah Baptist Church (approx. 3.1 miles away); Site of the Mission Nuestra Señora del Espiritu Santo de Zúñiga (approx. 3.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Goliad.
Photographed by Dave W, February 7, 2026
3. Minnehulla Baptist Church Marker
Church with marker visible at front.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 17, 2026. It was originally submitted on November 30, 2025, by Dave W of Co, Colorado. This page has been viewed 93 times since then and 67 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 30, 2025, by Dave W of Co, Colorado. 3. submitted on February 16, 2026, by Dave W of Co, Colorado. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
