Shiloh Primitive Baptist Church - Kirvin, TX
N 31° 46.543 W 096° 20.554
14R E 751658 N 3518650
The historic Shiloh Primitive Baptist Church, also known as "Shiloh Church", is at the intersection of FM 1449 and Freestone County Rd 1070, just a little over a mile northwest of Kirvin, TX.
Waymark Code: WM1496K
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 05/22/2021
Views: 4
A 1994 Texas Historical Marker stands in front of the sanctuary, providing some history:
Area slaves used a brush arbor for informal church services held by white minister Jeremiah Seely in the early 1850s. The congregation formally organized as Freedmen in 1866; Boney Moffett was elected first elder. Shiloh School, which was inspired by the church, began about 1867. Shiloh Church served as the "Mother Church" of the Zion Rest Primitive Baptist District Association. Prominent benefactor Minyard Harriss deeded two acres here to the church in 1891. The fourth sanctuary was built here in the 1920s. Shiloh School closed in 1949 but the church continues to serve the local community.
That small bell in front of the church could be the old school bell, and there is a nice memorial to the school across the road behind a secure fence and a locked gate. The grounds are very well-maintained here, with plenty of signs of activity, but there is simply no indication as to when they hold services. The church itself is essentially the lone landmark in the Shiloh community, which was named for the Civil War Battle of Shiloh. Minyard Harriss (who was a white man) is buried just up the road at the Woodland Cemetery, and blues legend Blind Lemon Jefferson is said to have performed at the church.