Jerusalem Memorial Christian Methodist Episcopal Church

Blacks in San Augustine worshiped together as early as 1845 when two slaves known as Sutton and Bartlett were granted licenses to preach in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. They built a place of worship, referred to as the "Church on the Branch," on a lot thought to belong to local landholder George Teel. After the Civil War the fellowship declined invitations to join independent groups such as the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and remained part of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. In 1866 the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, formed a separate conference for its black members, which was known as the Colored Methodist Episcopal (C. M. E.) Church. The San Augustine "Church on the Branch" joined the conference in 1870 under the pastorate of the Rev. Sam Horton but was not officially known as Jerusalem C. M. E. Church until 1946. The name Christian Methodist Episcopal Church was adopted in 1954. With its earliest history dating to the pre-Civil War era, Jerusalem memorial C. M. E. Church is considered one of the oldest black congregations in the state. For over a century it has played an important role in the growth of Methodism in San Augustine.

Jerusalem Memorial Christian Methodist Episcopal Church is a historical marker in San Augustine, San Augustine County, dedicated in 1983. It is one of 51 historical markers documented in San Augustine County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 161 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 31.5283, -94.1109 near San Augustine. The nearest cataloged historic site is St. Augustine Catholic Church (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include San Augustine County Jail, James Pinckney Henderson, and San Augustine County Courthouse.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5405007619. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.