‘This was all God’s doing’
99-year-old church in Magnolia earns historic marker
Charles R. Spriggs, the longtime pastor of Piney Grove Missionary Baptist Church, calls the new blue historic marker in front of the tiny church near Magnolia “marvelous to his eyes.”
“This was all God’s doing,” the 80-year-old pastor said. “I feel good about it being recognized as a historic church because it should have been done a long time ago. I thank God for this.”
Members of the Montgomery County Historical Commission earlier this month dedicated a county historical marker alongside Spriggs and other members of the church, recognizing its 99-year history and the history of its adjacent cemetery. The church was founded in 1924 as a place for Black families who worked at the local sawmills to worship.
Today, the church on FM 1488 exists on the same one acre that it’s been on for nearly a century. But its surroundings are a stark contrast from the property’s pastoral past.
On the western edge of the Piney Grove Cemetery among a line of brush, yellow flags mark the suspected final resting places for members of the Stewart family. Mere feet away on the opposite side of the property line for the cemetery is construction equipment and a work area owned by Magnolia ISD.
For now, the graves remain unmarked in the small cemetery just off of FM 1488 near Magnolia.
On the southern side of the property that contains both the cemetery and Piney Grove Missionary Baptist Church, a new dirt road leads to a subdivision that is taking shape. In front of the small church, brakes squeal as drivers stop at the traffic light at FM 1488 and Texas 249.
The sound of traffic and hum of urban sprawl offer a stark contrast to the small church and cemetery founded in the 1920s to serve Black families who worked at nearby sawmills.
“It’s totally surrounded,” Kerr said of the development and progress encroaching on the church and cemetery property.
Kerr has lived in the Magnolia area since 1984.
“This church is a part of my community and my history, too,” said Kerr, who is a member of the Magnolia Historical Society and the county commission.
She began researching the property, to secure the marker, in January 2022. That spring, she had a cadaver dog team come to the cemetery to try an identify where other former church members may be buried.
According to the narrative for the marker, in the decades following emancipation, Montgomery County was home to many Black residents, some of whom had formerly been enslaved at nearby plantations.
The heavily-forested landscape and thriving lumber industry provided opportunities that attracted thousands of laborers to the area. Mills like the Grogan Cochran Lumber Mill were the primary source of employment for many of the Black churchgoers in the community of Magnolia and the surrounding area.
According to the recorded deed records of Montgomery County, the land for the church was purchased in August 1924 from T. H. Yon — a prominent business owner of Magnolia — for $20. At first, a tent was erected at the site.
Deacon W. McGlothian along with faithful church members named the new church Piney Grove Missionary Baptist Church.
Many of the notes Kerr used to assemble the narrative were handwritten and passed down through the generations.
Deacons during this founding of the church were Tony Ross, Plez Hutch, Jack Hutch, Roosevelt Owens, and Sister Mary Vick. In 1973, a cornerstone was donated by Paradise Funeral Homes & Cemeteries of Houston.
The cemetery was started following the death of 7year-old Andrew Fair in 1929. His parents were members of the church.
Many of their descendants either attend the church today or are buried in the cemetery.
Some of the names on the memorials in the cemetery include Bennett, Coleman, Taylor, Powell, Spurlock, Ross, Daniel, Fair, Hubbard, Hutch, Lott, Vick and Tisdel.
Spriggs, who lives in Houston, was called to pastor there in 2005 and continues to serve members today.
Spriggs said he’d never even heard of the Piney Grove church until one day in the early 2000s his cousin invited him to visit for Sunday worship. He didn’t give a whole lot of thought to the tiny church on the first visit. He initially wasn’t planning to be a pastor much longer.
Following his visit, the pastor invited Spriggs, who was an associate minister at Pilgrim Branch Baptist Church near Tomball, to return and preach any time that he wanted.
The next time he visited the church, he learned that the pastor had died and Spriggs said the Lord called him to lead the church.
About five or six people regularly attend services, he said. They all have family history there. Leading the Piney Grove flock, he said, is a privilege.
“It means a whole lot to me to be a pastor of that church, “he said. “God still gives me the strength and the knowledge and understanding to stand there and preach and that’s all you can ask him for.”