Horseshoe Bay church donates $3,000 to Black History Museum project
St. Frederick's Baptist Church of Marble Falls received a $3,000 donation from St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church of Horseshoe Bay to support the building of a Black History Museum at the Marble Falls church. Pictured (from left) are St. Paul's Parish Council Chair Frank Trogus, St. Frederick’s First Assistant to the Pastor Dennis Porter, St. Paul’s pastor Father Ruben Patino, St. Frederick’s Church Administrator Bessie Jackson, St. Frederick’s Pastor George Perry, and Diana Virdell, co-chair of St. Paul’s Benevolence Committee. Courtesy photo
A future Black History Museum in Marble Falls recently received a $3,000 boost from St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church of Horseshoe Bay. The museum is a project of St. Frederick’s Baptist Church and will be built on the grounds of the church, 301 Avenue N.
“We support (St. Frederick’s) project to build a museum that tells the history of African Americans in our area,” stated Father Ruben Patino, St. Paul’s pastor, in a media release from the Horseshoe Bay church. “The establishment of this history museum will also help keep their story alive for future generations.”
St. Frederick’s congregation, which has been historically African American, earned a Texas historical marker in 2015. The church formed in 1893 and has met at several locations over its 129-year history. Its community mission includes serving hot meals three times a week at no cost to anyone who needs food and fellowship.
The Rev. George Perry, pastor of St. Frederick’s, emphasized that the museum is for all Highland Lakes residents.
“African American, Black history, also pertains to Marble Falls history and to the history of our whole area,” he said. “At one time, we all worked hand-in-hand to get to where we are.”
The museum project is an opportunity for everyone to work together again, he added.
St. Frederick’s Church Administrator Bessie Jackson, one of the museum’s earliest proponents, is helping to lead the fundraising efforts.
In addition to grants and private donations, a community-wide musical fundraiser is planned for September. The St. Frederick’s choir will join with choir members from other local churches as well as out-of-town guests in a gospel music performance.
“It will be a great night of unity in the body of Christ,” Jackson said.
The Sept. 24 event will be at 5 p.m. at Johnson Park, 230 Avenue J South in Marble Falls. Admission will be $10 and other donations are welcome, she said.
Another fundraiser for the museum was held this past February.
Jackson said the museum will feature colorful displays of news clippings and photos highlighting the accomplishments of Black residents of the Highland Lakes, past and present.
“If our young people don’t know where they’ve come from, how will they know where they’re going?” she said. “And when they see what others who have gone before them have accomplished and how they’ve succeeded, it gives hope to our young people that they, too, can succeed.”
For more information on donating to the Black History Museum, call 830-385-2143.