Corinth Missionary Baptist Church

The City of Temple later named Corinth, Wayman Chapel A.M.E. and Eighth Street Baptist an African American Churches Historic District, only the second historic district in the city. All three congregations date to the 1880s. A city spokesperson told KXXV the designation recognizes their cultural significance and gives them the protections of other landmarks, plus access to grants they would not otherwise have. Corinth's pastor, Dr. U. C. Barnes, who had led the church since 1990, said the congregation counted its start from about 1881.

What the plaque says

Corinth Missionary Baptist Church Corinth Missionary Baptist Church has its roots in Temple Chapel Baptist Church, which organized around 1881 as one of the area's earliest African-American congregations. African Americans needed a place of worship as they migrated to the new town of Temple, established by the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe railway, primarily to work as laborers. Membership grew and the church, also known as Second Baptist Church, had a Sunday school by 1897, but by the early years of the 20th century, it began to experience difficulties. Some members left to form another congregation. In 1908, the church was destroyed by a fire. In 1913, leaders and members of Temple Chapel Baptist Church continued worshipping at the same location under the name Corinth Missionary Baptist Church. A new building was erected in 1916; the structure was replaced in 1951 and renovated in 1964 and 1996. During its history, Corinth Missionary Baptist Church has played an active role in the community, offering youth activities related to drug awareness and programs on civil rights and African-American history; the church has also offered scholarship funds for area students. The congregation has hosted annual meetings of the Lincoln District Missionary Baptist Association and events related to social issues. The church has also focused on teaching ministries and on outreach through auxiliaries and participation in missions, including the 1954 plant of Macedonia Baptist Church of Temple. Today, Corinth Missionary Baptist Church continues to serve as a spiritual and social leader in the Temple community. (2010)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Temple Railroad and Heritage Museum — 0.5 mi
  The Santa Fe depot of 1911 in a railroad town that began in 1880 as a construction camp, now a museum with locomotives and cars parked beside the active rail yard.
• Mother Neff State Park — 18 mi
  A Leon River park that grew from six acres Isabella Neff left the state in her 1921 will, where Civilian Conservation Corps Company 817 built a stone tower, a pavilion and roads in the 1930s.
• Milam County Courthouse and Jail — 27 mi
  Cameron's 1892 Renaissance Revival courthouse and the 1895 St. Louis-built jail beside it, now the county museum, are listed together on the National Register.

More markers nearby

• Eighth Street Baptist Church — steps away
• Knob Creek Lodge No. 401, A.F. & A.M. — 0.4 mi
• City of Temple — 0.4 mi
• Site of the Organization of the Texas Forestry Association — 0.4 mi