Antioch

Rusk County, TX

Status: Located

Year Established: 1866

Council of Governments: ETCOG

Public History: A group of freedpersons established the Antioch Community when they organized Antioch Baptist Church in 1866. The congregation planted five other area churches between 1884 abd 1914, and served as a focal point of the settlement. Another important institution was Antioch School, whose one-room structure was replaced by a four-room building financed through the Rosenwald Fund in the early 1920s; the school closed in 1966 due to integration. Residents interred the deceased in New Prospect Colored Cemetery; an additional burial ground, named Antioch Memorial Garden, was later added. Today, Antioch continues to be a community eager to preserve its rich heritage. (2009)

Community History: According to the Texas State Historical Marker, the Antioch Community was established in 1866 with the organization of the Antioch Baptist Church by recently freed slaves. The Antioch Cemetery is nearby and dates from 1930.

Cemetery: Antioch Memorial Gardens / New Prospect

Church: Antioch Baptist Church

School: Antioch School