Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church

Zion Hill Missionary Baptist church is one of the earliest churches to serve this area's African American community. In the early 1880s, a Freedmen's colony grew here in response to the availability of jobs at a newly opened sawmill. The Rev. George Durden and his congregation, with the assistance of the Rev. A. Venerable, moderator of the Trinity Valley Baptist Association, officially organized Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church in 1881. It was the first black church congregation in Colmesneil. Worship services were held in a log cabin built by the congregation until the early 1900s. The church has occupied several locations and has served not only as a place of worship, but also as a school for black children. In the early 1990s Zion Hill Missionary Baptist church was moved to a site east of the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks adjacent to the Odd Fellows Hall. In 1933, the church was rebuilt at this site six blocks southwest of its original location. For over one hundred years Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church has served the community witht a variety of worship and educational programs and maintained a leadership role in civic activities.

Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church is a historical marker in Colmesneil, Tyler County, dedicated in 1991. It is one of 29 historical markers documented in Tyler County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 138 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 30.9116, -94.4237 near Colmesneil. The nearest cataloged historic site is Colmesneil-Mount Zion Cemetery (historical marker), about 0.4 miles away. Others within a short drive include Colmesneil, Colmesneil Mount Zion, and Goss-Kirkwood.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5457011467. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.