The Rev. Lawson Reed organized this black Baptist congregation in 1879 and led the first worship services under a brush arbor. This structure, erected in 1914 on land purchased from John Schmidt, was the third church building occupied by the membership. Designed by the noted German-born architect Dietrich Antone Wilhelm Rulfs (1848-1926), it combines Victorian styling with Gothic Revival detailing. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1977