Media Contact:
Amy Mehaffey
Communications & Main Street Director
mehaffeya@ci.nacogdoches.tx.us
936.559.2572
This fall the City of Nacogdoches received a grant in the amount of $10,000 from the Dallas-based Summerlee Foundation for the interior restoration of the historic Zion Hill Baptist Church. The grant will be used to repair or replace windows, window frames and doors, which will functionally weatherproof the building.
The Summerlee Foundation has supported Texas history initiatives all over the state for nearly 30 years. The City of Nacogdoches is truly grateful for their generous contribution to this project and to the preservation of Nacogdoches history and heritage.
Built in 1914, Zion Hill Baptist Church on the corner of North Lanana and Bois d’arc streets in Nacogdoches is the oldest African American church in Nacogdoches County.
The Nacogdoches County Historical Foundation restored the exterior of this historical landmark over a period of 10 years before turning the building over to the City of Nacogdoches to finish the interior restoration and to run as a museum and community center in perpetuity.
Once completed, Zion Hill will be opened to the public as a museum, including exhibits and educational activities related to: African American culture and heritage, the Church and its congregation, the life and work of Church architect Dietrich Rulfs and the Zion Hill Historic District in which the Church is located. It will also function as a community center with meeting and event spaces.
For more information about this project or to donate, contact Assistant Historic Sites Manager Jessica Sowell at 936-560-4441 or by email at historicsites@ci.nacogdoches.tx.us.
Amy Mehaffey
Communications & Main Street Director
City of Nacogdoches
P.O. Box 635030
Nacogdoches, TX 75963-5030
Phone – 936.559.2572 Fax- 936.559.2910
www.ci.nacogdoches.tx.us
