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Following emancipation, several Paris black free men and women formed informal congregations to practice their new spiritual rights. These former slaves found Baptist theology, with its egalitarian notion of redemption and informal nature of worship, especially appealing. Mt. Canaan Baptist church originated in temporary prayer gatherings held in the African American community at the area of Chisum’s Ranch, a neighborhood in northwest Paris. When the homes were demolished to make way for a new railroad, the displaced residents settled in southern Paris next to the cottonseed oil mill, compress, and cotton processing plants. This new African American neighborhood, called the TP community because of its proximity to the Texas & Pacific Railroad, was where Rev. Sam McCarley formally established Mt. Canaan Baptist Church in 1886. The railroad and the booming cotton industry employed many blacks in the area. Worship services were held in members’ houses until the current church was built in 1900 under the leadership of Rev. J.B. Adkins. Mt. Canaan catered to the marginalized African Americans of the TP community, including mill workers, cotton ginners, and teachers at nearby Bankhead Elementary School, the only school in Paris for African American students. In 1939, the congregation purchased more land and remodeled the church. More renovations followed in 1970, including a baptism annex, cement steps, and a back porch. Despite these additions, the building itself remains largely unchanged. Mt. Canaan Baptist Church continues to serve its historic community. |
