20-hills-chapel-100-annivPROCLAMATION NO. 2002-20
WHEREAS following the Emancipation Proclamation issued on January 1, 1863 and received in Texas on June 19, 1865, and toward the end of the Reconstruction Period in the Galilee Community
of Huntsville, Texas, several African American families went into business or acquired land and other possessions to preserve the heritage and secure the economic future of their community;
and
WHEREAS in 1902, missionary Reverend J. H. Hill came to the Galilee Community. He was successful in his ministry to the community, settling down with Emily Williams, daughter of local
landowners Sanford and Malinda Williams; and
WHEREAS the Williams family donated approximately two and one-half acres of land and Rev. J. H. and Emily Hill built Hill’s Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, where Rev. Hill was the
first pastor until he resigned in 1914; and
WHEREAS several successful pastors followed Rev. Hill, including circuit preachers who rotated among several area churches, preaching at Hill’s Chapel on the third Sunday of each month;
and
WHEREAS the church has been rebuilt and remodeled several times, notably restructured in 1913-14 and rebuilt following fires in both 1921 and 1924 . The church was remodeled in 1955;
and
WHEREAS Hill’s Chapel Missionary Baptist Church has continued to grow and prosper because of the dedication of its members; and
WHEREAS the ‘Centennial Celebration’ serves as a reaffirmation of the faith that has brought Hill’s Chapel Missionary Baptist Church through the fire and storms that occurred during
difficult times;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT HEREBY PROCLAIMED, by the power vested in me as
Mayor of the City of Huntsville, Texas that:
SUNDAY, JULY 21, 2002
be declared
“HILL’S CHAPEL MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH’S 100TH ANNIVERSARY”
PROCLAIMED AND SIGNED this the 18th day of June 2002.
_____________________________
WILLIAM B. GREEN, MAYOR