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Shiloh
Missionary Cemetery
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, February 2009 |
Cedar
Lane History in a Pecan Shell
The original settlement
began around a store along a path bordered with a “lane” of cedars.
The Texas and New Orleans Railroad made the community a stop on its
line and by 1912 they had been granted their own post office.
The population was a mere 25 people in 1914, but it didn’t stop them
from getting connected with telephone service. By the 1930s the town
had a paved road and two businesses as well as a church and school.
Prior to WWII,
the town had an estimated population of 50 and after WWII,
the Cedar Lane school merged with the Van Vleck ISD. By the late 1960s
the population had swelled to 57 residents and for the 1990 census
it had reached a new record of 85 citizens, dropping back to 55 for
the 2000 census. |
Cedar Lane,
Texas Landmarks
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Shiloh Missionary
Baptist Church
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, February 2009 |
Shiloh Missionary
Baptist Church historical marker
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, February 2009 |
Historical Marker
Text
Shiloh Missionary
Baptist Church
Following Emancipation
in 1865, freedmen and women established the Shiloh Missionary Baptist
Church near Caney Creek in 1866. Instrumental in the church formation
were the Reverend Dennis Grey (1814-1879), secretary John Alexander
Sidney (1842-1928) and many charter members.
The first church building was erected on land from the A.C. Buckner
League purchased by the Reverend Mr. Gray and donated to the church.
The building also served as a community school with an enrollment
of about 100 pupils. A cemetery was established in the 1870s near
the church and contains the graves of church and community members.
A storm in 1909 destroyed the original church building, and a second
church was constructed. A bell dating from 1856 given to the church
by the community was hung in the belfry of the new church. In 1970
a new sanctuary was constructed on land donated by the Van Vleck School
district. Auxiliary facilities were added as the congregation grew.
Continuing a long history of service and community outreach, the church
was a site of refuge during Hurricane
Carla in 1961. The church remains an integral part of the area
as it has for more than 130 years. |
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"No Big
Truck Parking" either
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, February 2009 |
1920s map showing
Cedar Lane in E Central Matagorda
County
From Texas state map #10749
Courtesy
Texas General Land Office |
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact
us. |
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