Texas Historical Commission staff (BB), 7/9/2007, rev 9/5/07 27" x 42" Official Texas Historical Marker with post Galveston County (Job #07GV03) Subject CH, ME, AA (Atlas 13986) UTM: 15 325410E 3242300N Location: Galveston, 902 28th St

WESLEY TABERNACLE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH THE AFRICAN AMERICAN METHODIST COMMUNITY IN GALVESTON DATES TO

1848, WHEN GAIL BORDEN DEEDED LAND ON BROADWAY FOR A SLAVE CHURCH.

FOLLOWING THE CIVIL WAR, THE CONGREGATION CHANGED ITS AFFILIATION

FROM METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, SOUTH, TO THE AFRICAN METHODIST

EPISCOPAL DENOMINATION. THE CHURCH BECAME KNOWN IN 1867 AS REEDY

CHAPEL A.M.E., FORERUNNER OF A.M.E. CHURCHES THROUGHOUT TEXAS. ST.

PAUL M.E. CHURCH SPLIT FROM REEDY CHAPEL, AND IN 1868 THE ST. PAUL

GROUP DIVIDED, WITH ONE GROUP BUYING PROPERTY ON BROADWAY AND

38TH STREETS AND BECOMING WESLEY TABERNACLE CHURCH.

THE NEW CONGREGATION CHANGED LOCATIONS AND SANCTUARIES,

STARTING WITH A ONE-ROOM HOUSE LATER MOVED TO A NEW SITE AT AVENUE

I (SEALY) AND 28TH IN 1870. THE CHURCH ADDED BUILDINGS LATER DESTROYED

IN AN 1879 FIRE. A NEW WOOD FRAME SANCTUARY, SEVERELY DAMAGED IN THE

1900 HURRICANE, WAS REBUILT BY JOHN TANKERSLEY AND AN AFRICAN

AMERICAN CARPENTRY CREW. THE FAÇADE CHANGED AGAIN IN 1924 WHEN THE

GALVESTON GRADE RAISING REACHED THIS NEIGHBORHOOD. HOUSTON

ARCHITECTURAL FIRM STOWE AND STOWE AND BUILDER HENRY H. LASDEN

BUILT A NEW RED BRICK FAÇADE WITH WHITE STONE DETAILING. THE BUILDING

FEATURES A PROMINENT CORNER TOWER, BRACKETED TOWER CAP AND TWIN

BRACKETED PORCH CANOPIES, MIXING ELEMENTS OF GOTHIC REVIVAL AND

CRAFTSMAN STYLE ARCHITECTURE. INTERIOR FEATURES INCLUDE A UNIQUE

HAND-HEWN STRUCTURAL TRUSS SYSTEM INTACT FROM RENOVATIONS

FOLLOWING THE 1900 STORM. PEWS AND ALTAR FURNITURE DATE FROM THE

1881 SANCTUARY. WESLEY TABERNACLE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH HAS

LONG BEEN INVOLVED IN SOCIAL PROGRESS FOR THE AFRICAN AMERICAN

COMMUNITY IT SERVES. MEMBERS HAVE PROMOTED CIVIL RIGHTS FOR MANY

YEARS, INCLUDING ORGANIZATION OF THE FIRST ANTI-LYNCHING SOCIETY IN

TEXAS IN 1914.

RECORDED TEXAS HISTORIC LANDMARK – 2007

MARKER IS PROPERTY OF THE STATE OF TEXAS

THC use only Job _________; NR/C+ _________; IR _________; Prev _________

RECORDED TEXAS HISTORIC LANDMARK MARKERS: 2007 Official Texas Historical Marker

Sponsorship Application Form Valid November 15, 2006 to January 2, 2007 only

This form constitutes a public request for the Texas Historical Commission (THC) to consider approval of an Official Texas Historical Marker for the topic noted in this application. The THC will review the request and make its determination based on rules and procedures of the program. Filing of the application for sponsorship is for the purpose of providing basic information to be used in the evaluation process. The final determination of eligibility and therefore approval for a state marker will be made by the THC. This form is to be used for subject marker requests only. Please see separate forms for either Historic Texas Cemeteries or Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks. Proposed marker topic (Official title will be determined by the THC):1881-1924 Wesley Tabernacle United Methodist Church County: Galveston Town (nearest county town on state highway map): Galveston Street address of marker site or directions from town noted above: 902 28th Street NOTE: Recorded Texas Historic Landmark markers must be placed at the structure being marked. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark markers definition: Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (RTHL) markers are awarded to structures deemed worthy of preservation for their historical associations and architectural significance. RTHL is a legal designation and comes with a measure of protection; it is the highest honor the state can bestow on a historic structure, and the designation is required for this type of marker. The RTHL designation becomes effective upon approval by the THC. Official Texas Historical Markers signify the RTHL designation; designation comes only through application to and approval by the THC and must include public display of an Official Texas Historical Marker. Owners of RTHL-designated structures must give the THC 60 days written notice before any alterations are made to the exterior of the structure. RTHL status is a permanent designation and is not to be removed from the property in the event of a transfer of ownership. Only the THC can remove the designation or recall the marker. The marker must remain with the structure and may not be removed or displayed elsewhere until or unless the THC gives express approval in writing for such action. Once designated as RTHL, properties are subject to provisions of Texas Government Code, Section 442.006(f). Criteria: 1. Age: Structures eligible for the RTHL designation and marker must be at least 50 years old. 2. Historical significance: Architectural significance alone is not enough to qualify a structure for the

RTHL designation. It must have an equally significant historical association, and that association can come from an event that occurred at the site; through individuals who owned or lived on the property; or, in the case of bridges, industrial plants, schoolhouses and other non-residential properties, through documented significance to the larger community.

3. Architectural significance: Structures deemed architecturally significant are outstanding examples of architectural history, either through design, materials, structural type or construction methods. In all cases, eligible architectural properties must display integrity, that is, the structure should be in a good state of repair, maintain its appearance from its period of significance and be considered an exemplary model of preservation. Architectural significance is often best determined by the relevance of the property to broader contexts, including geography. Any changes over the years should be compatible with original design and reflect compliance with accepted preservation practices, e.g., the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.

4. Good state of repair: Structures not considered by the THC to be in a good state of repair—i.e., restored—are ineligible for RTHL designation. The THC reserves the sole right to make that determination relative to eligibility for RTHL markers.

Special considerations for RTHL marker applications: If a structure has been individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) under either Criterion A or B and Criterion C (Architecture), the historical text compiled as part of the National Register nomination process may be submitted as part of the marker process, provided it includes the required reference notes and other documentation. Acceptance of the National Register information for the purposes of the marker process will be up to the sole determination of the THC. Listing in the NRHP does not guarantee approval for an RTHL marker. See the THC web site at http://www.thc.state.tx.us/markerdesigs/madnrcrit.html for National Register criteria. APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS Any individual, group or CHC may apply to the THC to request an Official Texas Historical Marker for what it deems a worthy topic. Only complete marker application packets that contain all the required elements can be accepted or processed by the THC. For RTHL markers, the required elements are: sponsorship application form; narrative history; documentation; online map (see details below); site plan; floorplan; historic photograph and current photographs clearly showing each side of the structure.

• Completed application packets must be duly reviewed, verified and approved by the county historical commission in the county in which the marker will be placed.

• The sponsorship application form, narrative history and documentation must be in the form of Microsoft Word or Word-compatible documents and submitted via email attachments to the THC by no later than January 2, 2007.

• Required font style and type size are a Times variant and 12-point. • Narrative histories must be typed in a double-spaced format and include separate sections on

context, overview and significance. • The narrative history must include documentation in the form of reference notes, which can be

either footnotes or endnotes. Documentation associated with applications should be broad-based and demonstrate a survey of all available resources, both primary and secondary.

• Applications for RTHL markers must include a current city or county map through TopoZone.com that clearly denotes the proposed marker location. Instructions for using TopoZone.com are available on the THC web site.

• Immediately upon notification of the successful preliminary review of required elements by the THC, a non-refundable application fee of $100 is required. The fee shall be submitted to the THC within ten working days of application receipt notification.

APPROVAL BY COUNTY HISTORICAL COMMISSION The duly appointed marker representative (chair or marker chair) noted below for the CHC will be the sole contact to the THC for this marker application. To ensure accuracy, consistency and efficiency, all information to and from the THC relative to the application will be via direct communication with the CHC representative. All other inquiries (calls, emails, letters) to the THC will be referred to the CHC

representative for response. By filling out the information below and filing the application with the THC, the CHC representative is providing the THC with notice that the application and documentation have been reviewed and verified by the CHC and that the material meets all current requirements of the Official Texas Historical Marker Program. As chair or duly appointed marker chair, I certify the following:

Representatives of the CHC have met with the potential marker sponsor and discussed the program policies as outlined on the THC web site.

Representatives have conveyed information on the RTHL designation, including legal restrictions, to the property owner.

Representatives of the CHC have reviewed the history and documentation for accuracy and made additional notes as necessary.

It is the determination of the CHC that the structure, history and documentation meet the THC criteria for eligibility.

CHC comments or concerns about this application, if any: Wesley Tabernacle UMC is one of Galveston's

architectual jewels and has been maintained exactly as it was remodeled after the 1924 grade-raising in

Galveston. It truly deserved to be given the RTHL designation.

Name of CHC contact (chair or marker chair): Alecya Gallaway

Mailing address: 2219 Market Street City, zip: Galveston, TX 77518

Email address (required): gallaway@uhcl.edu

Daytime phone (with area code): 281-283-3792

PERMISSION OF PROPERTY OWNER FOR MARKER PLACEMENT Property owner: Pastor H.F. Hynson Address: 902 28th Street, P.O. Box 16505 City, state, zip: Galveston, TX 77550 Phone: chapel, 409-762-7266; Cell, 409-935-5120 Legal Description of the property (metes and bounds, lot and block, etc.): Abst 628 Page 113 Lots 1 Thru 4 Blk 207 Galveston Upon receipt of the application, the THC will provide the owner with a letter that outlines the legal responsibility of ownership under the Recorded Texas Historic Landmark statute. The letter must be signed by the owner and returned to the THC before the evaluation can be completed. NOTE: The property owner will not receive other copies of general correspondence from the THC. All procedural correspondence (notice of receipt, requests for additional information, inscriptions, shipping notices, etc.)—with the exception of payment notices—will be sent via email to the CHC representative, who is encouraged to share the information with all interested parties as necessary. Given the large volume of applications processed annually and the need for centralized communication, all inquiries about applications in process will be referred to the CHC for response. The CHC is the sole liaison to the THC on all marker application matters. The THC will, however, provide regular updates to the CHC via the Internet, email or listserv on the progress of all applications. PAYMENT INFORMATION

Prospective sponsors please note the following: • Payment must be received in full within 45 days of the official approval notice and must be

accompanied by the THC payment form. The THC is unable to process partial payments or to delay payment due to processing procedures of the sponsor. Applications not paid in the time frame required may, at the sole discretion of the THC, be cancelled or postponed.

• Payment relates to sponsorship of the marker in partnership with the THC, which provides the match for program costs.

• Payment does not constitute ownership of a marker; Recorded Texas Historic Landmark and other Official Texas Historical Markers are the property of the State of Texas.

• If, at any time during the marker process, sponsorship is withdrawn, a refund can be processed, but the THC will retain the application fee of $100.

• The Official Texas Historical Marker Program provides no means of recognizing sponsors through marker text, incising or supplemental plaques.

Marker sponsor (may be individual or organization): Galveston County Historical Commission Contact person (if applicable): Alecya Gallaway Mailing address: 2219 Market St City, zip: Galveston, 77550 Email address (required): gallaway@uhcl.edu Phone: 281-283-3792 SHIPPING INSTRUCTIONS In order to facilitate delivery of the marker, neither post office box numbers nor rural route numbers can be accepted. To avoid additional shipping charges or time delays, use a business street address (open 8 a.m.—5 p.m., Monday—Friday). Name: Pastor H.L. Hynson Street address: 902 28th Street City, zip: Galveston 77550 Daytime phone (required): 409-771-4532 cell or 409-935-5120 hm Email (required): hpeppie@aol.com TYPE AND SIZE OF RECORDED TEXAS HISTORIC LANDMARK MARKERS As part of its review process, the THC will determine the appropriate size marker and provide options, if any, for the approved topic based on its own review criteria, including, but not exclusive of, historical significance, replication of information in other THC markers, relevance to the statewide preservation plan and the amount of available documented information provided in the application narrative. In making its determination, however, the THC will also take into account the preference of the CHC, as noted below. The sponsor/CHC prefer the following size marker:

27” x 42” RTHL marker with post ($1500) 27” X 42” RTHL marker without post* ($1500) 18” x 28” RTHL marker with post ($1000) 18” x 28” RTHL marker without post* ($1000) RTHL medallion and 16” x 12” plaque with post ($750) RTHL medallion and 16” x 12” plaque without post* ($750)

*For an RTHL marker without post, indicate to what surface material it will be mounted: wood masonry metal other (specify)

SUBMITTING THE APPLICATION (via email required) When the CHC has determined that the application packet is complete, that the history has been verified and that the application meets the requirements of the Official Texas Historical Marker Program, the required elements only should be forwarded to the THC via email at the following address: markerapplication@thc.state.tx.us. • The CHC or marker chair should send an e-mail containing the following attachments:

o This application form o The subject history (narrative and footnotes) o A TopoZone.com map of the proposed marker location o Photographs (may be sent as attachments or by separate mail; digital photos are acceptable) o Site plan (may be sent as attachment or by separate mail; if sent separately, it must be on

letter size paper) o Floor plans (may be sent as attachment or by separate mail; if sent separately, plans must be

on letter size paper) • Follow these steps to attach the files:

o Most email services have the “Attach” or “Attachment” command under the “File” menu or in an email toolbar.

o Select the file for attachment • Send the email including the attachments, with all requirements met. RECORDS RETENTION BY CHC: The CHC must retain both the hard copies of the application as well as an online version, at least for the duration of the marker process. The THC is not responsible for lost applications, for incomplete applications or for applications not properly filed according to the program requirements. For additional information about any aspect of the Official Texas Historical Marker Program, visit the Markers page on the THC web site (http://www.thc.state.tx.us/markerdesigs/madmark.html).

1881 Wesley Tabernacle United Methodist Church 1

1881 Wesley Tabernacle United Methodist Church 2006 by Alecya Gallaway, GCHC Chairperson Narrative for RTHL application I. Context

Prior to the Civil War, three Methodist congregations now in the city of Galveston

existed as one church. The original was a slave church organized in 1848 by the

Methodist Episcopal Church – South, of Galveston. That same year, Gail Borden granted

a deed to property on Broadway to the M.E. Church for a slave church. The congregation

met in an open meeting area until 1863 when they were able buy the materials to

construct a building for themselves. White ministers led the slave congregation.1 After

the Civil War, dissention formed in the church because of the controversy between the

M.E. Church – North and the M.E. Church - South. The M.E. Church – North wanted to

control the M.E. Church – South, but the slave churches wanted to be in control of their

own congregations. The M.E. Church South agreed with the M.E. Slave Churches who

chose to become a part of the African Methodist Episcopal Connection. The M.E. Church

– South wanted to allow the ex-slave congregations to establish their own A.M.E.

churches and filed lawsuits across the southern states. The suits were finally settled in

1866 with the ruling for the M. E. Church – South, and in 1866, the property on

Broadway was deeded over to the African Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1867, Houston

Reedy was appointed pastor, and the church became known as Reedy Chapel A.M.E., the

mother church of the African Methodist Episcopal in Texas.2 This was also the year that

Norris Wright Cuney (1846-1898) settled in Galveston.3

1 Statement of Significance for Reedy Chapel A.M.E.. Reedy Chapel A.M.E. RTHL Marker file, Galveston County Historical Commission research files, Galveston County Historical Museum.. 2 Affidavit written in 1974, by Bishop John Hurst Adams, 10th Episcopal District, African Methodist Episcopal Church confirming that Reedy Chapel A.M.E. is the Mother Church of African Methodism in

1881 Wesley Tabernacle United Methodist Church 2

Galveston was in the midst of change. Emancipation had completely altered the

economic structure of the South. The dawning of Reconstruction brought Federal troops

to Galveston to insure the rights of the newly freed slaves. Some African Americans in

the Galveston ex-slave M. E. Church – South didn’t feel the need to change over to the

Philadelphia based African Methodist Episcopal denomination. Due to the turmoil

resulting from the change from Methodist Episcopal to African Methodist Episcopal in

1866, a portion of the congregation separated to organize their own M.E. Church. The

new congregation became the St Paul Methodist Episcopal Church.4 The African

American population in Galveston grew steadily after Emancipation and in 1868, the St

Paul M.E. congregation split and a small group of worshippers left to form a new M.E.

Church-South.5

II. Overview

The new congregation formerly organized in late 1868, and secured property on

Broadway between 38th and 39th streets. A one-room house was placed on the site to

serve as the first church building. On January 21, 1869 the M.E. Texas Conference, in

regular session in Austin, with Bishop M. Simpson presiding, appointed Reverend Peter

Cavanaugh as pastor to the newly named Wesley Tabernacle Methodist Episcopal

Church. The congregation began with only a handful of members including Irvin

Texas. Reedy Chapel A.M.E. RTHL Marker file, Galveston County Historical Commission research files, Galveston County Historical Museum. 3. Maud Cuney Hare, Norris Wright Cuney a Tribute of the Black People (New York: The Crisis Publishing Company, 1913), p. 8. 4 St. Paul United Methodist Church 138th Anniversary Program. 2004. pg.3. 5 “In Our Eighty-Second Year, Brief History of Wesley Tabernacle Methodist Church”, Wesley Tabernacle Methodist Church Eighty-Second Anniversary Program. 1951. pg 9.

1881 Wesley Tabernacle United Methodist Church 3

Claborn, Abe Woods, John McClean, Mrs. Elsie Mosely, Mrs. Esther Ashe, Mrs. Lydia

Striltman, Mrs. Louise Valentine, Mrs. Louvenia Cavanaugh, and Mrs. Mary Bland.6

In 1870, Galveston was the principal city of Texas with a population of 13,818.

African Americans were enjoying the beginnings of a free society. Jobs for African

Americans were plentiful and the new Wesley Tabernacle M.E. congregation expanded

as the community experienced economic growth. Rev. George Terry succeeded Rev.

Cavanaugh, and during his pastorate, the property on the corner of Avenue I (Sealy) and

28th Street was purchased for twelve hundred dollars ($1,200) by trustees including

George Ashe, George Terry, Matt McKinney and Wash Green. The one-room house was

moved to the new location. As the church grew, more room was needed and in the mid

1870s Trustee George Ashe negotiated the purchase of the 1841 white Presbyterian

Church building on 14th Street and had it moved to the Ave I – 28th St. property.7

The year 1877 saw the end of Reconstruction in the South, but business and

political powers in Galveston still respected and supported Norris Wright Cuney and he

was able to hold on to his position as Inspector in the Customs House. The church was

under the leadership of Rev. V.M. Cole. During 1879 tragedy struck Wesley Tabernacle

when the 1841 church building that had been moved to Ave I, and the new parsonage

burned to the ground. Rev. Cole held services under an arbor of brush and saw a

foundation poured for a new building before his term ended. Rev. Peter Morgan was

assigned to the congregation in 1881.8

6 “Brief History Wesley Tabernacle United Methodist Church 1869 – 2004”. 7 Wesley Tabernacle United Methodist Church records. Held in a safety deposit by the Church. Also: Charles W. Ramsdell, Reconstruction in Texas, (New York: Columbia University Press, 1910; rpt., Austin: Texas State Historical Association, 1970). 8 “1869, Wesley Tabernacle United Methodist Church 28th Street”, Sacred Places, Volume II Galveston’s Historic Religious Institutions, Galveston Historical Foundation.

1881 Wesley Tabernacle United Methodist Church 4

On November 1, 1881, Trustee E. M. Russel secured a lien from Norris Wright

Cuney on the church property (Lot No. one, Block No. 207 in Galveston, Galveston

County, Texas) to build a new church building. The cornerstone for the church built in

1881 reads: “Wesley Tabernacle Church laid by Norris W. Cuney, [P.C.M.] Masons Sept

19 AD. 1881, Rev. V.M. Cole, Pastor.” This building is described in the 1889-1894

Sanborn Maps of Galveston as being a one story structure measuring twenty-four feet to

the eaves with a sixty-five foot tower, a wood frame building with a wood shingle roof

located on Ave. I (Sealy). A wooden one-story parsonage was located next door between

the church building and the alley.9

The Great Storm of 1900 left the 1881 church structure severely damaged. John

Tankersley, a skilled African American builder from Brazoria County was hired to

restore the church. Tankersley used all African American carpenters and was the builder

of choice for the prosperous African American middleclass in Galveston.10 As much of

the old structure as possible was restored. The repairs were finished in 1901, and in the

1899 – 1906 Sanborn Map of Galveston, the structure is described as being a one-story

wooden structure, sixteen feet to the eaves with a forty-foot tower and a shingle roof. The

cottage-style church had maintained the same footprint but now had an additional side

entrance on 28th Street. The new cornerstone was inscribed on the reverse side of the

1881 cornerstone. It reads: “Wesley Tabernacle M.E. Church, Rev. Wm. Bartley, Pastor,

9 United Methodist Texas Conference Board of Trustees, File of Local Church Properties, Wesley Tabernacle United Methodist. Also: 1881 Cornerstone preserved and kept in the 2nd floor church sanctuary. Also Sanborn Maps, Galveston, 1889 – 1894 (corrected through) page 25. Original copy held by the Galveston Historical Foundation. Also: Texas United Methodist Conference File of Local Church Properties: Whereas, on the 1st day of November, 1881 the WTEC of Galveston County did execute, acknowledge ands deliver to N.W. Cuney trustee for E.M. Russel, Trustee, died 1898, of Galveston County, Texas a certain five promissory notes on the following described real estate, situate, lying and being in the City of Galveston, in the State of Texas, to wit: Lot No. One, Block No. 207 in Galveston, Galveston County, Texas. 10 “$9,000 Pavilion for Negroes” City Times, June 20, 1914.

1881 Wesley Tabernacle United Methodist Church 5

1901, Trustees, H.D. Hill Chairman, J.E. Washington, T.J. Dyhes, A. Jones, Rev. E. Lee,

P.E.”11

The period immediately after the 1900 Storm was difficult for African Americans

in Galveston. They lost all political influence as oppression steadily grew not only

locally, but also across the state of Texas and the South where Jim Crow laws were

rampant.12 In 1905, a city ordinance was passed to segregate the streetcars. There were

no public places in Galveston where African Americans could sit next to whites. The

growing prejudice did not halt the growth of economic progress in the African American

community.13 Cotton was the driving force of economic growth in the White and African

American communities and many of the members of the Wesley Tabernacle congregation

were also members of the Cotton Jammer’s Association, the Screwmen’s Benevolent

Association No. 2 organized by Norris Wright Cuney.

The liens for the renovations from the 1900 Storm damage were paid in 1907 and

the church was rededicated.14 In 1909, the City Times, the first African American

newspaper in Galveston listed the following demographics for the African American

community: annual income in salaries, $332,514, over one thousand black men employed

at the wharves, seventy-five black-owned businesses, four physicians, four attorneys,

twenty-three teachers and administrators and sixteen clergymen. As bigotry and prejudice

grew around the state, the lynching of black men became more common. In 1914, the

11 “Brief History Wesley Tabernacle United Methodist Church 1869 – 2004”, St. Paul United Methodist Church 138th Anniversary Program. 2004. pg.3. Also: 1901 Cornerstone preserved and kept in the 2nd floor church sanctuary. Also Sanborn Maps, Galveston, 1899 – 1906 (corrected through) page 25. Original copy held by the Galveston Historical Foundation. Also: Ellen Beasley and Stephen Fox, Galveston Architecture Guidebook, (Austin: Texas A&M Press, 1996), page 198. 12 “Jim Crow Laws: Texas” http://www.jimcrowhistory.org/scripts/jimcrow/insidesouth.cgi?state=Texas 13 Patricia Bellis Bixel and Elizabeth Hayes Turner, Galveston and the 1900 Storm, (Austin: University of Texas Press, 2000), page150. 14 1907 Cornerstone preserved and kept in the 2nd floor church sanctuary.

1881 Wesley Tabernacle United Methodist Church 6

members of Wesley Tabernacle Church organized the first Anti-lynching Society in

Texas. African American churches had become the safe harbor for black political

growth.15

Wesley Tabernacle had become the head of political and cultural events in

Galveston. Professor Charles Alexander of Boston was invited to present his poetry

lecture, “An Hour with Paul Lawrence Dunbar,”16 The Order of the Knights and

Daughters of Tabor conducted their 28th anniversary Thanksgiving Service at Wesley

Tabernacle.17 The NAACP’s battle against D.W. Griffith’s inflammatory motion picture

“Birth of a Nation” that glorified the Klu Klux Klan spread the word about the

organization’s fight against discrimination in the South. In 1919, when the NAACP

publication, Thirty Years of Lynching in the United States: 1889-1918, was published the

Wesley Tabernacle church leadership and members of the congregation had already been

involved in promoting the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

in Galveston.18

The invention of the high-density cotton compress in 1910 began the decline for

the need of cotton screwmen, and by the end of World War I, the men coming back from

the war had to look to other jobs to maintain their financial stability.19 Even through the

changing times, the prominent congregation at Wesley Tabernacle continued as leaders in

the community. In 1922, the pastor, Rev. E.W. Kelly and several church trustees were on

15 Patricia Bellis Bixel and Elizabeth Hayes Turner, page151. 16 “Prof. Charles Alexander of Boston, Mass. will lecture at Wesley Tabernacle M.E. Church, Twenty-eighth and Avenue I, Monday night, March, 23, at 8:30 p.m.” City Times, Saturday March 21, 1914. pg.1. 17 City Times, Saturday June 27, 1914. 18 Wesley Tabernacle United Methodist Church records. 19 James V. Reese, “Evolution of an Early Texas Union: The Screwman’s Benevolent Association of Galveston, 1866-1891,” Southwestern Historical Quarterly 75 (Oct 1971).

1881 Wesley Tabernacle United Methodist Church 7

the roster when the NAACP had a rally at the Loyal Knights of Progress Hall. One of the

main topics was the Dyer anti-lynching bill.20

By 1924, the raising of the city after the 1900 Storm reached the Factory District

where Wesley Tabernacle M.E. Church was located on the corner of Ave I (Sealy) and

28th Street. The Church was mortgaged and money was raised from the prominent middle

and working-class congregation to fund the raising of the building, and to hire the

Houston architecture firm of Stowe and Stowe to enlarge the structure and completely

redesign the exterior. Henry H. Ladsen was hired as the builder. A ground floor was

added changing the building from a one-story cottage-style structure to a two-story

church with a basement. The changes were noted in the Sanborn Map of Galveston 1912-

1964. The building is a larger two-story wood frame brick veneer structure with a

basement, and a slate roof. It measures 40’ to the eaves, with a 52’ north bell tower and a

46’ south tower, and the building now has a west orientation. The building’s exterior

orientation was changed so that it now faced 28th Street with two entrances. The major

alterations to the building were on the first floor and included creating Sunday school

classrooms, a kitchen, pastor’s study and new restrooms. On the second floor a larger

church nave and chancel (sanctuary) was built with a third floor balcony. The stained

glass windows were completely new, all with donor inscriptions inserted in the bottom

panels. These stained glass inscription windows unique to Wesley Tabernacle M.E.

Church were placed throughout the building with a stained glass picture window placed

20 “Galveston Colored Citizens Set Pace.” City Times, Dec 23, 1922. pg 1.

1881 Wesley Tabernacle United Methodist Church 8

high in the wall behind the altar with the date (1924) and the name of the pastor, Rev.

W.E. Kelly.21

After WWII the membership of Wesley Tabernacle M.E. Church increased as

more African Americans moved their families to Galveston County where jobs were

plentiful in the growing industrial complex at Texas City. The Church grew and

prospered as the African American community in Galveston grew with Galveston

County’s economy. In 1950, under the leadership of Rev. Adam D. Phelps, Wesley

Tabernacle M.E. Church became the third church in Texas to install a Model 10, Baldwin

Electric Organ.22

The council of Methodist Episcopal Churches underwent changes after World

War II, and in 1951 they participated in the formation of the World Methodist Council. In

1960 the Methodist Episcopal and the Evangelical United Brethren joined with seven

other Protestant denominations to form the Consultation on Church Union. The churches

felt a growing uneasiness about the problems of racism both in the nation and the church.

After the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964, many Methodists were disturbed by the

manner in which racial segregation was built into the fabric of their denominational

structure and by 1968, plans to abolish the Central Jurisdiction were agreed upon and the

United Methodist Church was created.23 The African American and White churches were

21“Brief History Wesley Tabernacle United Methodist Church 1869 – 2004” Also: James V. Reese, “Evolution of an Early Texas Union: The Screwman’s Benevolent Association of Galveston, 1866-1891,” Southwestern Historical Quarterly 75 (Oct 1971). Also: Deed of Trust, A. Stinson et al Trustees…to Maco Stewart as Trustee for the Guaranty Building & Loan Co. Galveston County Record Book 336, Pages 177 et seq. Also: Release of Liens, July 15, 1925, Vol. 368 pg 77-78. Also: 1924 Cornerstone located on the Ave I (Sealy) side of the bell tower foundation. Also: Sanborn Maps, Galveston, 1910-1964 (corrected through) pg. 56. 22 “In Our Eighty-Second Year, Brief History of Wesley Tabernacle Methodist Church”, Wesley Tabernacle Methodist Church Eighty-Second Anniversary Program. 1951. pg 9. 23 The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church, Nashville: United Methodist Publishing House, 2000.

1881 Wesley Tabernacle United Methodist Church 9

now joined under one Conference. Shortly after this change in the denomination, in the

early 1970s, the Wesley Tabernacle United Methodist Church building interior was

repainted, the stained glass windows re-cemented, and air conditioning added.24

Since the 1970s, the number of members of the Wesley Tabernacle United

Methodist Church congregation have dwindled, but their ministry in the Galveston

community has continued as they committed themselves to many programs including

help for the economically depressed, leadership for youth as they sponsored Boy Scout

troops, and the feeding of the elderly and shut-in population.25 The congregation has

remained strong in their ministries and their determination to keep the exterior of the

church building in its original historic condition. Despite the hardship of raising

thousands of dollars, in 2004, two new solid mahogany doors, exact replicas of the

original 1924 doors, with their stained glass windows refurbished, were built and

installed by Pearl Stained Glass & Door Company. Unfortunately the 1924, two-story

parsonage on the lot between the church and the alley was declared too deteriorated to

restore and was torn down in 2006.26

III. Significance

Wesley Tabernacle United Methodist Church was born from the strengths of early

freedom. The church located at 902 28th Street in Galveston, Texas, stands as it was

originally remodeled during the last grade raising in Galveston after the 1900 Storm. It is

one of the most distinctive architectural landmarks of the Factory District. It stands out 24 “Brief History”, Wesley Tabernacle Methodist Church, Souvenir Program, 106th Anniversary and Homecoming, Dec 9 – 14, 1975. Also: Proposal for recementing of the leaded stained glass window of the Wesley Tabernacle Church, 902 28th Street, Galveston, Texas. Hauser Studios of Stained Glass, Inc. Winona, Minnesota. February 5, 1973. 25 Collection of Newspaper clippings about the congregation’s ministries in the church office. 26 Correspondence detailing the historical integrity of the replacement doors from owner of the Pearl Stained Glass & Door C. 2004.

1881 Wesley Tabernacle United Methodist Church 10

by virtue of its bracketed corner tower cap and twin, bracketed porch canopies facing 28th

Street. According to Galveston Historical Foundation architectural historians, “these

elements give the building a unique combination of the Craftsman style porches that

contrast with the traditional Gothic Revival peaks and flourishes on the church’s

roofline”. But to see the true glory of the church, one must take a look at the interior. The

unique structural hand-hewn truss work in the ceiling remains as it was renovated after

the 1900 Storm. It is oriented east to west and perpendicular to the altar rather than

parallel. The collection of pews and altar furniture that dates back to 1881 gives you a

glimpse back in time to see the sanctuary in all of its glory before and after the 1900

Storm. The Wesley Tabernacle United Methodist Church is a monument to one hundred

fifty seven years of African American History in Galveston.27

27 1869, Wesley Tabernacle United Methodist Church, 902 28th Street, Galveston Historical Foundation’s Sacred Places Tour Book, 2005. Also: One Hundred Thirty-fifth Anniversary, December 12, 2004, Souvenir Book. Also: collection of 2004 digital images of church’s interior housed at the Galveston County Historical Museum.