Church founded by freed slaves 150 years ago holds final service in historic building

June 4, 2026

Mount Gilead Baptist Church, a congregation founded by freed slaves 150 years ago in Fort Worth, Texas, held its final service on Sunday in a historic building they have worshipped in since 1912.

The Christian Post reports that members voted 19-4 to sell the building last summer, citing mounting maintenance costs and dwindling membership.

The 600-seat building at 600 Grove, is currently listed on LoopNet as being under contract for $2.5 million.

Mount Gilead Baptist Church, reportedly Fort Worth’s oldest black church, was started in 1875 in a building built by freed slaves in a black settlement known as “Baptist Hill” before moving to the Grove Street location 110 years ago.

Historic Fort Worth reports that before segregation, the building was home to a swimming pool, a gymnasium, and a day nursery.

According to the Christian Post, the church’s Pastor Lorenzo Jones IV told the congregation last December that the building was being sold to give them a new lease on life, according to Historic Fort Worth.

Jones said said the church never recovered from the loss of its in-person worshipers brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, but they hope to purchase a new building with the proceeds from the sale of their historic building.

Members like Patricia Williams remain hopeful and nostalgic as they mark the end of a long and meaningful chapter in the church’s history.

Williams told CBS News, “I hope it will always be a beacon to what, I think it was, 12 slaves started many, many years ago, and that needs to be taught. That history needs to be never be erased because you can’t erase history. You can’t replace it, but hopefully, my great-great grandchildren will remember this building and remember that significance.”

The Rev. Kyev Tatum Sr. of the Ministers Justice Coalition of Texas explained that the legacy of the historic church should be protected, saying, “To see our ancestors have the tenacity and determination to not only build the building but using that building to help improve the quality of life of blacks in this community is something that should be preserved, protected, and defended.”

Photo: top, Credit: Screenshot/Google Maps