This church was established in 1869 by a group of former slaves who had settled in the rural Double Bayou community. Land at this site was deeded to the congregation in the 1870s by charter member Martha Godfrey, who also donated the original tract of the nearby cemetery. Born about 1812 in Tennessee, Martha had been brought to Texas as a slave of the Mayes family, early area pioneers who settled here in the 1830s.
St. Paul United Methodist Church has served as a focal point of the surrounding area for well over a century. The Double Bayou Community School was held here from the early 1880s until 1920, when a new schoolhouse was built. Church events have become important social activities, and the Martha Godfrey Cemetery, long associated with the congregation, has been the burial place of many area leaders. Funerals here have traditionally included the ringing of the church's toner, a small bell with a muffled sound.
One of the oldest churches in Chambers County, St. Paul United Methodist Church has played a vital role in the area's development. The fellowship's growth continues to reflect the ideals of the Freedmen who founded it shortly after the Civil War.
(1982)