St. Thomas Chapel

Cherokee County, TX

Status: Located

Year Established: Unknown

Council of Governments: ETCOG

Public History: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/st-thomas-chapel-tx
St. Thomas Chapel, on State Highway 21 fourteen miles south of Rusk in southern Cherokee County, was probably settled around the time of the Civil War. A school for black children was in operation by 1896, when it had an enrollment of twenty-seven. In the mid-1930s the community comprised a church, a school, a store, and a number of houses. The school was later closed, though in the early 1990s a church and cemetery and two stores still remained in the area.

https://www.kltv.com/2019/04/15/nws-ef-tornado-traveled-miles-through-multiple-counties/
As the tornado continued along Highway 21 its most significant damage was at a single-family home and the St. Thomas chapel which saw their roofs removed and exterior walls collapsed. Winds were estimated at 150 mph at this point.

Community History: The church was severely damaged by tornadoes in 2018 and has been demolished. The congregation has an interim worship site while funds are raised to rebuild the church.

Cemetery: St. Thomas Chapel Cemetery

Church: St. Thomas Chapel