Mt. Zion United Methodist Church

From their earliest days, the Methodists debated the issue of slavery. Disagreement on the issue of slavery increased in strength for decades between churches of the northern and southern United States; in 1845, it resulted in a schism at the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church held in Louisville, Kentucky. Because of the split, the Methodist Episcopal Church, South was the formed. As a result of this separation, Mount Zion Methodist Church was organized. The church is the oldest Black church in the Central Texas Conference and the second oldest Black church in Texas. The church was built in 1893 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

The original site was on a hill in Dangerfield, a black community in West Belton. From 1844 to 1874, Rev. R. P. Brown was minister of Mount Zion Church. In 1878-80, Rev. George Sawyer served as pastor. In 1881, Rev. S. Smith was assigned to Mount Zion as pastor. Several trustees purchased property from M.J.J. Robertson for a church site: these trustees were Robert Blair, Isaiah Crofford, Primus Crofford, and Henry White. The church house was located along Old Nolanville Rd. (currently FM 93).

In 1893, Rev. R. H. Ponton and the church trustees relocated the large congregation, erecting a stucco building on the south bank of Nolan Creek. Around the turn of the century, Belton experienced a cotton boom as well as related growth of the black community, many of whom found labor intensive jobs in the cotton growing and processing economy. At one time, the area of West Belton housed one of the largest black residential neighborhoods in the city. The church served as a focal point for the community. The church was one of the few places where blacks in the community could congregate for weddings, funerals, baccalaureate services, and other celebrations.

Little is known about the construction of the church or its very early history. Facing west on a large sloping lot above the banks of Nolan Creek, the Mt. Zion church is described as “simple and restrained in ornamentation and an interesting vernacular interpretation of the Gothic Revival style.” The building is a one-story, T-plan layout with pointed-arch windows. A stucco and wood-sided bell tower sat in the northwest elbow of the two wings. A modern brick addition was added to the western façade.

On May 10, 1939, under the leadership of Rev. J.F. Muse, an agreement was made between the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Protestant Church, forming the Methodist Episcopal Church of America. The name of the congregation was later changed to Mount Zion United Methodist Church about 1969 or early seventies.

In 1970, during the pastorate of Rev. Millard Rucker, plans were finalized for an addition to the old stucco church structure. The addition was completed on September 15, 1974, and the building was consecrated by District Superintendent, Michael Pattison. In 1986, Rev. Clifton Howard served as pastor during the restoration of the old stucco building. In 2021, the Belton City Council authorized staff to submit an application to Preservation Texas for the Texas Rural African American Heritage Grant and an application for the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund. A city spokesperson said both grants would enable a complete restoration of the church, both interior and exterior. The City of Belton would provide infrastructure upgrades such as water and fire protection. In February 2023, the church received a $100,000 restoration grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Preserving Black Churches program. The full restoration of Mount Zion is estimated to cost $367,048 with additional funding coming from a $75,000 Preservation Texas grant, and matching funds of $25,000 provided by the church.

“130-year-old Belton Church Receives $100K Restoration Grant.” KWTX News, February 5, 2023.

McQueen, Clyde. Black Churches in Texas: a Guide to Historic Congregations. College Station: Texas A&M University Press, c2000.

United Methodist Church. Central Texas Conference. “Mt. Zion United Methodist Church.” https://www.ctcumc.org/story/a-black-history-month-narrative-mt-zion-umc-the-ctcs-oldest-black-church-16359798

United States Department of the Interior. National Park Service. National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. Washington, D.C.: the Dept., n.d.

Valley, Joel. “Historical Preservation: Grants Sought to Complete Restoration of Belton Black Church.” Temple Daily Telegram, Dec. 28, 2021.