OLDEST Church in the City - Mineola, TX - Superlatives on Waymarking.com

"Extensive settlement in this area began after the end of the Texas Revolution in 1836. The Legislature create Wood County in 1850, thus influencing further settlement. The community of Sodom developed here by 1871, when the Reverend John Brenham founded the St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church in the home of Pinkney and Bettie Brooks. Charter members were Mandy Hall, Mary Garrett, Ellis Lee, Willis Oliver and Bettie Brooks.

In 1873, the town was renamed Mineola and boasted two rail lines. During that year, St. Paul Church members built their first sanctuary at the corner of Harris and Stone streets. The church held early baptisms in a creek near present-day Wren Street, as the congregation continued to grow over the next decades. In 1897, the present site was purchased and a new sanctuary was constructed. Later, under the leadership of the Rev. T. B. Johnson, who served the church from 1914 to 1941, the church remodeled its early sanctuary.

The Rev. Johnson served as moderator of the East Texas Baptist Association, as did Rev. Lawrence W. Pryor, pastor from 1945 to 1949. Rev. Pryor was also president of the Baptist Training Union Congress. These men and other pastors, including the Rev. Charles C. Colquitt who served for more than 41 years, helped establish the congregation as a long-standing Mineola institution. In 1958, during Rev. Colquitt's pastorate, the sanctuary was replaced with a larger structure. Other notable pastors following this period included the Reverends, W. McNealy, R. Lister, and W. Lawson. Numerous church leaders, who served in other capacities included deacons, deaconesses, junior deacons, trustees and many faithful members.

On May 13, 2006 under Rev. Lawson's leadership, the church held a dedication service for placement of an official Texas Historical marker on the church campus. This was an important milestone, as the church holds the distinction of being the oldest church in the city."