PHOTOS: African American History Museum opens
Bessie Jackson cuts the ribbon on St. Frederick Baptist Church’s African American History Museum during a soft opening Feb. 22, 2025. Staff photos by Dakota Morrissiey
After two years of construction, St. Frederick Baptist Church’s African American History Museum opened its doors to the public Saturday, Feb. 22. Dozens of visitors gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony, community meal, and panel discussion on Black history in Marble Falls.
The new museum, located next to St. Frederick’s at 301 Avenue N in Marble Falls, was a labor of love, built through fundraising, donations, and countless volunteer hours. Some work still needs to be done before its official grand opening, but the displays and exhibits are in place.
“There’s a lot of history in the (Highland Lakes) Black community—a lot of history—and you don’t take that for granted. It’s a blessing,” said Mattie Odem, the first Black woman to graduate from Marble Falls High School, at the event. “I’m blessed to be here today. I’m glad to be home.”
Odem graduated from MFHS in 1966, shortly after schools were desegregated when the Civil Rights Act became U.S. law in 1964. She now lives in Austin but grew up in Marble Falls, where she attended the Colored Normal George Washington Carver Elementary School prior to desegregation.
St. Frederick’s clerk and community champion Bessie Jackson, who was instrumental in establishing the museum, was honored during the soft opening.
Her grandson Bryan Smith Jr. spoke during the event, recounting his own experiences growing up Black in Marble Falls and the museum’s importance in local history.
“I’m learning things that I didn’t even know came out of this specific community,” he said. “I think that it is just (important) to show everybody that we’ve been here. Don’t forget the contributions that we’ve made.”
Photos from the Feb. 22, 2025, soft opening of the African American History Museum in Marble Falls taken by DailyTrib.com News Editor Dakota Morrissiey.
