Texas Rural African-American Heritage Grants Program

Funder: Preservation Texas Inc with National Park Service Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grant ($750,000)

Program Status: Currently in implementation; 10 subgrant projects wrapping up over the next two months as of September 2025

Program Overview

The largest African-American-focused historic preservation grants program in Texas history, designed to support endangered Rural African-American Heritage sites, particularly Freedom Colonies and their institutional buildings.

Focus Areas

• Rural African-American churches
• Rural African-American schools
• Masonic lodge halls
• Other institutional and commercial buildings from Freedom Colonies
• Buildings associated with Civil War through Civil Rights era history
• Reconstruction-era educational institutions

Geographic Scope

• Rural communities with populations under 50,000
• Statewide Texas focus
• Special emphasis on rural Freedom Colonies (over 600 existed historically)

Eligible Properties

• Pre-1936 buildings
• Associated with African-American heritage and Freedom Colonies
• Located in rural communities
• Must be determined eligible for National Register of Historic Places

Project Requirements

• Project Types: Stabilization, rehabilitation, and restoration
• Outcomes: Support rural economic development, reinforce significance of rural African-American history, support heritage tourism

Previously Awarded Sites (2022 Program)

1. Bethel Baptist Church, Tennessee Colony (Anderson County) - $75,000
2. Brenham Normal & Industrial College, Brenham (Washington County) - $75,000
3. Concord Rosenwald School, Mount Enterprise (Rusk County) - $75,000
4. First Independent Baptist Church, Corsicana (Navarro County) - $50,000
5. Jamison-Thompson-Weatherford Building, Texarkana (Bowie County) - $50,000
6. Macedonia School, Linden (Cass County) - $50,000
7. Mount Vernon A.M.E. Church, Palestine (Anderson County) - $75,000
8. Mount Zion United Methodist Church, Belton (Bell County) - $75,000
9. Old Masonic Hall, Lufkin (Angelina County) - $75,000
10. Palacios Colored School, Palacios (Matagorda County) - $35,000
11. Wesley Chapel, Corsicana (Navarro County) - $75,000

Historical Context

The program responds to threatened Rural African-American heritage sites resulting from:

• Changing demographics over the past century
• Abandonment of late 19th and early 20th century structures
• Loss of community purpose leading to deterioration
• The need to preserve Freedom Colonies and their institutions