HOUSTON, Texas -- Founded in 1866, Antioch Missionary Baptist Church is just 30 years younger than the city of Houston. The church was created shortly after the abolition of slavery was announced in Galveston, now known as Juneteenth.
"This church not only preached the gospel message, but this church served as an institution in establishing Freedmen's Town," Pastor Lou McElroy said.
Located in what is now Houston's Fourth Ward, Freedmen's Town was built by former slaves as a community where freed people could live, and Antioch church was at the center of it.
You can see more of the church's rich history and how its legacy is now being remembered in the video above.