Saint John Colony

This community began in the early 1870s when a group of freedmen and their families, led by the Rev. John Henry Winn, relocated here from Webberville (approx. 20 mi. N). The original fourteen families purchased about 2,000 acres of land to establish a town and family farms. Originally named Winn's Colony in honor of John H. Winn, the community name was changed to Saint John Colony after Winn organized Saint John Missionary Baptist Church in 1873. The community grew steadily and at its peak included homes of about 100 families, farms, stores, a school, cotton gin, and grist mill. A post office, under the name Mackiesville, opened in 1890 with Lewis Mackey as postmaster. Churches, in addition to Saint John Missionary Baptist, included Zion Union Missionary Baptist and Landmark Missionary Baptist. The boundaries of the colony extended into Bastrop County.The post office was closed in the 1920s, and the school was consolidated with Lockhart schools in 1966. The churches remain active, and the community graveyard, known as Saint John Cemetery or Zion Cemetery, contains the graves of many of the area's pioneers. Descendants of some of the founding families still reside in Saint John Colony. (1990)

Saint John Colony is a historical marker in Lockhart, Caldwell County, dedicated in 1990. It is one of 54 historical markers documented in Caldwell County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 106 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 29.9643, -97.5481 near Lockhart. The nearest cataloged historic site is St. John Colony Cemetery (cemetery), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Bunton Cemetery, Lytton Springs Cemetery, and Johnson Perry Cemetery.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5507014663. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.