Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church

Following Emancipation in 1865, freedmen and women established the Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church near Caney Creek in 1866. Instrumental in the church formation were the Reverend Dennis Grey (1814-1879), secretary John Alexander Sidney (1842-1928) and many charter members. The first church building was erected on land from the A.C. Buckner League purchased by the Reverend Mr. Gray and donated to the church. The building also served as a community school with an enrollment of about 100 pupils. A cemetery was established in the 1870s near the church and contains the graves of church and community members. A storm in 1909 destroyed the original church building, and a second church was constructed. A bell dating from 1856 given to the church by the community was hung in the belfry of the new church. In 1970 a new sanctuary was constructed on land donated by the Van Vleck School district. Auxiliary facilities were added as the congregation grew. Continuing a long history of service and community outreach, the church was a site of refuge during Hurricane Carla in 1961. The church remains an integral part of the area as it has for more than 130 years. (1997)

Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church is a historical marker in Matagorda County, Texas. It is one of 88 historical markers documented in Matagorda County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 114 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 28.9398, -95.7200. The nearest cataloged historic site is Shiloh Missionary Baptist (cemetery), about 0.1 miles away. Others within a short drive include St Mark Church, King Van Estate Cemetery, and First Berean Missionary Baptist Church.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5321004683. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.