The 147-year history of a Black church in Liberty County founded in 1877 by formerly enslaved individuals has been put into a 76-page book by Milton and Doris M. Davis.
Mt. Reah Missionary Baptist Church, located on CR 2116 off of SH 146 in Clark, Texas, in northern Liberty County, had remained at the same location since its founding just eight years after the end of the Civil War.
Though the church closed in 2018, its grounds still held three cemeteries – Simmons, Beef Head, and Nixon Smith. However, in 2024, Mt. Reah, at least in the physical, has died. And it’s doubtful that the historic church is resting in peace.
“On Sept.17, 2023, we celebrated the Mt. Reah Baptist Church and were going to work to try and save it,” said activist and self-described “disruptive historian” Tanya Debose. “Unfortunately, through a series of ‘quit claim’ deeds the church was given to a group that decided to burn it down this year instead of preserve it.”
But the horror of Texas Black history destruction doesn’t appear to stop there with the purposeful burning down of Mt. Reah.
“The descendants of the [Mt. Reah] original land donor, Charlie Simmons, are afraid the group if not stopped would bring more harm to historical and cultural assets in the area. The Simmons Family Descendants Association and the Black Heritage Association of Clark, Texas have joined forces to bring more positive preservation activities to commemorate and celebrate the area,” added Debose.
This December will mark 150 years since Simmons purchased the land that eventually became home to a group of formerly enslaved people. It was a thriving community with its own school known as Golden Spray, Mt. Reah Church and the Green Valley Masonic Lodge, which is currently still standing.
The Simmons’ family built more than a dozen homesteads in the area.
“Charlie Simmons was a well-respected man and he along with others established a civil rights meeting, started the Domestic Homemaker Club for Negro Residents, and through the Masonic Lodge they helped provide food and other needs for the community,” shared Debose who is on a mission to save still existing Black history spaces across the state, and specifically in Liberty County.
To preserve the church’s history, the Davises, trustees of Mt. Reah Missionary Baptist Church, have compiled it into a book given to the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center in Clark.
“Sam Houston’s old plantation, Grand Cane, is part of the Clark area. There’s a Texas Republic marker recognizing the contributions of Sam Houston and his wife Martha Lea to the Clark community. However, while Charlie Simmons may have been the original factor that started the settlement of Black people in the area, his story has remained undertold.”
