riseatx-ydydwo1y5-v1

A Look Back at Early Juneteenth Celebrations in Austin

funmi@outreachp.com (Funmi Ogunro) — Fri, 30 May 2025 22:24:10 GMT

A Look Back at Early Juneteenth Celebrations in Austin

Why We Celebrate: A Look Back at Early Juneteenth Celebrations in Austin

Juneteenth is more than just a holiday—it’s a day of memory, resistance, and celebration. While most people know it marks the day in 1865 when enslaved Black Texans were officially informed of their freedom, many don’t realize just how deep Austin’s Juneteenth roots run. From the very first local celebrations to the parades and music festivals of today, Juneteenth has always been about community and cultural survival.

The First Juneteenth Celebration in Austin

The earliest known Juneteenth celebration in Austin took place in 1867, just two years after emancipation was declared. Organized with the help of the Freedmen’s Bureau, the event marked a powerful moment of freedom for newly emancipated Black Texans. Juneteenth gatherings were held at Wheeler’s Grove—now known as Eastwoods Park—near the University of Texas campus.

Eastwoods Park: A Legacy of Celebration

By the early 1900s, Austin’s Black community had made Eastwoods Park (near what is now the UT campus at 3001 Harris Park Ave) a central site for Juneteenth celebrations. The park came alive each June 19th with parades, reenactments, musical performances, and vibrant displays of joy.

Take a look at these remarkable photographs taken by Grace Murray Stephenson during the Juneteenth celebration in 1900:

Juneteenth Moves to Austin’s East Side in the Early 1900s

Later, Thomas J. White, a formerly enslaved man, advocated for the celebration to be held on land owned by Black residents. In 1905, he founded the Emancipation Park Association, which purchased five acres near Rosewood Avenue and Chicon Street in 1907. Juneteenth celebrations soon took place on that land. However, in 1938, the city seized the property through eminent domain, and the festivities were relocated to Rosewood Park—where Juneteenth continues to be celebrated today.

attend an austin juneteenth event

Juneteenth is a space of remembrance and resistance. In the face of laws that tried to erase Black history, early celebrations were acts of defiance. They were ways to pass down stories, reclaim narratives, and affirm joy as a right—not a privilege.

Today, we continue this legacy by gathering, educating, and celebrating. Events like the ones hosted through Outreach Productions are part of that long tradition. We honor the past by showing up for the present and by fighting for a future where Black communities in Austin are remembered, respected, and resourced.

As we reflect on the beauty and strength of early Juneteenth celebrations in Austin, let’s commit to keeping this energy alive year after year.

✊�� Call to Action

Attend one of the many Juneteenth Celebrations in a Austin!

June 7, 2025 | 6-10pm - Freedom + Juneteenth at Pease Park | Presented by Pease Park Conservancy, Art is Cool, Outreach Productions, Third Spaces

June 14, 2025 | 11am-4pm - Juneteenth at the Carver Library | Presented by Outreach Productions
June 14, 2025 | 3pm-10pm - Stay Black & Live Juneteenth Festival | Presented by the Carver Museum ATX

June 19, 2025 10am-9pm - Central Texas Juneteenth Parade & Festival | Presented by Greater East Austin Youth Association (GEAYA)

June 19, 2025 | 10am - Juneteenth 2025 Bike Ride + Block Party | Presented by Black History Bike Ride

Freedom isn’t just something we remember. It’s something we fight for—together.

✅ Explore our site and learn about Austin’s Black Freedom Communities

✅ Share these powerful images and stories with your family and friends

Sources

[Wikimedia Commons: Emancipation Day Band Photo]( https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Emancipation_Day_Celebration_band,_June_19,_1900.png )

[Wikimedia Commons: Elderly Group on Juneteenth]( https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Emancipation_Day_celebration_-_1900-06-19.jpg )

[KUT: A Look Back at the 150-Year History of Juneteenth in Texas]( https://www.kut.org/post/look-back-150-year-history-juneteenth-texas )

[Texas State Historical Association: Juneteenth Article]( https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/juneteenth )

[Austin History Center – Juneteenth in Austin Records (archival research)]

Juneteenth Central Texas - https://www.juneteenthcentraltexas.com/austin-juneteenth

Black Churches

funmi@outreachp.com (Funmi Ogunro) — Mon, 05 May 2025 16:07:37 GMT

The Black church has long been a cornerstone of Austin's freedom communities—spaces where formerly enslaved people and their descendants built lives rooted in faith, education, economic self-sufficiency, and political empowerment. From the late 19th century through the 1930s, these numerous churches were born throughout Austin.

Jacob Fontaine: Pastor, Publisher, and Pioneer

Born into slavery in Arkansas in 1808, Jacob Fontaine was brought to Austin in 1839 by Episcopal minister Edward Fontaine. While still enslaved, Jacob began preaching to Black congregants in the basement of a Methodist church. After emancipation, he founded the First Baptist Church (Colored) in 1867—the first Black Baptist church in Austin, located where the Austin History Center now stands citeturn0search6.

Fontaine's leadership extended far beyond the pulpit. He established six churches across Central Texas, including:

Mount Zion Baptist Church (Williamson Creek, 1873)
Good Hope Baptist Church (Round Rock, 1874)
Sweet Home Baptist Church (Clarksville, 1877)
New Hope Baptist Church (Wheatsville, 1887)
St. Stephen's Baptist Church (Waters Park, 1887)

In 1876, he launched The Gold Dollar , one of the first Black-owned newspapers in the South, providing a vital platform for Black voices in Austin.

The St. John Regular Baptist Association: A Network of Empowerment

In 1867, Fontaine and fellow ministers Jessie B. Shackles, John Winn Sr., Calvin Allen, Buffington, and Horace Smith convened under a large oak tree in Wheatsville (now part of UT Austin’s West Campus) to form the Travis County Association, later renamed the St. John Regular Baptist Association citeturn0search1.

This association unified Black Baptist churches across Central Texas, fostering collaboration in ministry, education, and economic development. By 1906, the association had purchased over 300 acres in Northeast Austin, establishing the St. John Orphan Home and Industrial Institute. Modeled after Booker T. Washington’s Tuskegee Institute, it provided vocational training in agriculture, shoemaking, sewing, and printing citeturn0search15.

The area became known as the St. John community, hosting annual encampments that drew thousands for worship, education, and fellowship. Today, this legacy endures in the St. John neighborhood and the St. John Encampment Commons, part of the ACC Highland Campus.

Black Churches in Austin (19th Century–1930s)

Between emancipation and the 1930s, numerous Black churches were established in Austin, serving as spiritual and communal anchors:

First Baptist Church (Colored), 1867
Mount Zion Baptist Church, 1873
Good Hope Baptist Church, 1874
Sweet Home Baptist Church, 1877
New Hope Baptist Church, 1887
St. Stephen’s Baptist Church, 1887
Mount Sinai Baptist Church (originally Main East Austin Baptist Church), 1899

These churches were integral to Austin’s freedom colonies, offering sanctuary, education, and a foundation for civic engagement.

Continuing the Legacy

The contributions of Jacob Fontaine and the St. John Regular Baptist Association laid the groundwork for generations of Black leadership in Austin. Their efforts in establishing churches, educational institutions, and community networks have left an indelible mark on the city's history.

To explore this rich heritage further, consider visiting the Jacob Fontaine Religious Museum or attending events hosted by the St. John Regular Baptist Association. Their stories are not just history—they are a testament to the enduring spirit of Austin's Black communities. https://www.stjohnbaptistassociation.org/

Sources

https://texashistory.unt.edu/explore/partners/JFRM/

https://www.kut.org/austin/2024-02-26/st-john-baptist-church-association-austin

https://traviscountyhistorical.blogspot.com/2022/02/st-john-orphan-home-and-industrial.html

https://www.stjohnbaptistassociation.org/history-of-st-john/