Saint James African Methodist Episcopal Church

A University of North Texas library page describes a church that kept rebuilding. After meeting in members' homes, St. James moved to Oak Street in the early 1890s and built a sanctuary under the Rev. D. Hill, rebuilt in 1899 under the Rev. J. S. Powe, and added another building on the property in 1909. In 1920 the congregation hosted the Dallas District Sunday school convention, and it held graduations for Black schools in Denton, including Fred Moore School's in 1922. The page calls it the oldest recorded Black church in Denton.

What the plaque says

Saint James African Methodist Episcopal Church In 1875 a group of black pioneers from the White Rock Community in Dallas moved to Denton County and named their settlement Freedman Town. Worship services, prayer groups, and Bible meetings were held in private homes. A minister among them, the Rev. M. P. Lambert, served the settlers until the Rev. J. B. Goins came in 1876 to organize the St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church. There were eighteen charter members in the congregation. The fellowship has provided significant service and leadership to the community and is an important part of the religious heritage of Denton County. (1985)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Denton County Courthouse-on-the-Square — 0.8 mi
  An 1896 courthouse by W. C. Dodson in Denton limestone, pink granite and two sandstones, restored in 2004, now a free county museum on a lawn holding the grave of John B. Denton.

More markers nearby

• Quakertown — 0.6 mi
• Ford, O'Neil — 0.6 mi
• John B. Denton — 0.8 mi
• The City of Denton — 0.8 mi