Blessed Virgin Mary Chapel in Brenham’s African American Catholic Community
Portrait of African American family from Brenham, taken at Winkelmann’s Studio, 1913 (Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin)
Portrait of African American couple from Brenham, taken at Winkelmann’s Studio, 1914 (Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin)
Portrait of A.A.Hornsby, taken at Winkelmann’s Studio, 1912 (Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin)
Portrait of African American children from Brenham, taken at Winkelmann’s Studio, 1916 (Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin)
Believed to the oldest African American Catholic community in Texas, this settlement traces its roots back to the late 1840s, when the Anglo Spann family migrated here with a family of enslaved people known as the Sweeds. Together they established a Catholic mission and built a log cabin sanctuary, the first of several churches that would occupy this site. In 1995, the town constructed the newest church building, which continues to serve Brenham’s African American Catholics, including descendants of the Sweed family.
African American Catholic Community
- 12 miles northeast of Brenham on SH 105, then north-northwest on CR100/Sweed Road, Brenham, TX
- This is an active church. Please be respectful of services.
