One of the prominent black-American enclaves of Gonzales County was known as Hoods Point.
If one were to drive into the sleepy western part of the county and turn north to follow dusty CR-256, an ancient relic of the past can be seen standing and falling at the same time, singed sadly slipping into oblivion. It is the Hoods Point Church. Its vacant walls echo with the voices of prominent farmers, sharecroppers, homemakers, schoolchildren, teachers, and pastors.
In its effort to document how black-American colonies like Hoods Point came to be, field workers for the Gonzales County Historical Commission reached out to the citizens of these secluded enclaves. Relative to Hoods Point, it was Octavine HARRIS FREEMAN (nee MORRIS) [1900-2004] who contributed a historical account pertaining to the community, of which she was an active church member and resident [1].
“The Hood’s Point school was listed in 1876 in the first available school records of Gonzales County with thirty-two scholastics residing in the area. It was a very large Black community located northeast of the Oak Forest community, west of the Greenwood community (and named for the Hood family)…”
“The Hood’s Methodist Church was organized Mar 8, 1885 on the property of Braid Berry under a mesquite tree. Organizers were Solomon Simmons, Jack Harris, Billy O’Neal, Elizah Porter, Francis Harris, Nellie Simmons, Isom Hood and Nancy O’Neal. The church was named for Isom Hood.
Members there originally had a brush arbor to worship under but winter came and the members of the congregation had to build a log hut, running poles through walls for the seats. It had a dirt floor, no windows and kerosene for light.
In 1894, August [Ebert] gave land to construct a permanent building and the Ackman brothers were the contractors. The trustees at that time were Willis Smith, Miles Barksdale, and Eli Porter. In 1930 a storm blew the building away, but under the guidance of the Reverend L. H. Richardson the building previously used by the Monthalia Methodist Episcopal Church across the river was moved to Hood’s Point and remodeled.” [2]
If one were to drive into the sleepy western part of the county and turn north to follow dusty CR-256, an ancient relic of the past can be seen standing and falling at the same time, singed sadly slipping into oblivion. It is the Hoods Point Church. Its vacant walls echo with the voices of prominent farmers, sharecroppers, homemakers, schoolchildren, teachers, and pastors.
In its effort to document how black-American colonies like Hoods Point came to be, field workers for the Gonzales County Historical Commission reached out to the citizens of these secluded enclaves. Relative to Hoods Point, it was Octavine HARRIS FREEMAN (nee MORRIS) [1900-2004] who contributed a historical account pertaining to the community, of which she was an active church member and resident [1].
“The Hood’s Point school was listed in 1876 in the first available school records of Gonzales County with thirty-two scholastics residing in the area. It was a very large Black community located northeast of the Oak Forest community, west of the Greenwood community (and named for the Hood family)…”
“The Hood’s Methodist Church was organized Mar 8, 1885 on the property of Braid Berry under a mesquite tree. Organizers were Solomon Simmons, Jack Harris, Billy O’Neal, Elizah Porter, Francis Harris, Nellie Simmons, Isom Hood and Nancy O’Neal. The church was named for Isom Hood.
Members there originally had a brush arbor to worship under but winter came and the members of the congregation had to build a log hut, running poles through walls for the seats. It had a dirt floor, no windows and kerosene for light.
In 1894, August [Ebert] gave land to construct a permanent building and the Ackman brothers were the contractors. The trustees at that time were Willis Smith, Miles Barksdale, and Eli Porter. In 1930 a storm blew the building away, but under the guidance of the Reverend L. H. Richardson the building previously used by the Monthalia Methodist Episcopal Church across the river was moved to Hood’s Point and remodeled.” [2]
[1] The Gonzales County Historical Commission. The History of Gonzales County, Texas, Curtis Media Corp., 1986.
[2] Harris, Octavine (n. d.). The Hood’s Point Community. Gonzales County Clerk’s Office, Gonzales County Archives, Manila folder labeled “Churches-Ottine Hood’s Point", Key no. II-73, 1 transcribed page, 1 sheet of handwritten notations by author. Unpublished raw data.
[2] Harris, Octavine (n. d.). The Hood’s Point Community. Gonzales County Clerk’s Office, Gonzales County Archives, Manila folder labeled “Churches-Ottine Hood’s Point", Key no. II-73, 1 transcribed page, 1 sheet of handwritten notations by author. Unpublished raw data.