Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, Houston, Texas
historic place
Antioch Missionary Baptist Church is a historic place in Harris County, Houston. It was organized in 1866 by nine former slaves, becoming Houston's first African American Baptist Church. Their first sanctuary, built nearby in 1868, hosted Texas' first African American Baptist Convention. Reverend John Henry Yates, elected as Antioch's first full-time pastor in 1868, worked to improve education for African Americans in Houston. He helped establish the Houston Baptist Academy in 1885. The current sanctuary, a Gothic Revival masonry building, was constructed between 1875 and 1879. Church member Richard Allen designed this one-story structure. It was later enlarged and altered. This church served as the mother church for many area African American Baptist congregations. A historical marker was erected in 1994 to commemorate its significance. Antioch continues to provide leadership in religious, civic, and educational activities as Houston's oldest African American Baptist congregation.