1867–1887 · Central Texas
A Ministry
Built on Faith
Six congregations. Twenty years. One man who preached in secret before he was free — and built a church the moment he was.
The Calling
Preaching Before
He Had the Right
Jacob Fontaine's ministry did not begin with emancipation. It began in secret — in the basement of the old Methodist church at Brazos and Tenth Streets in Austin, where he preached to Black Austinites in the afternoons while still enslaved.
By 1864, he and other members of Austin's Black congregation were meeting secretly to organize a break from the White church. When freedom came in 1867, Jacob was ready. Within the year, he had founded the First (Colored) Baptist Church in Austin and been elected first moderator of the St. John Regular Missionary Baptist Association.
Over the next twenty years, he planted five more congregations across Central Texas — each one a community anchor, a place of worship, education, and mutual support for Black Texans navigating the turbulent years of Reconstruction.
Over 100
Churches Founded
"He would preach in the afternoons to Blacks in the basement of the old Methodist church — years before emancipation gave him the right to do so openly."
A Life of Service
From Sexton
to Church Planter
1840's
Sexton at St. David's Episcopal Church
Jacob served as sexton at St. David's Episcopal Church in Austin — one of the city's most prominent congregations — while still enslaved.
1850's
Member of First Baptist Church
Jacob attended First Baptist Church alongside Sam Houston. But even then, he was quietly building something of his own.
1850–1864
Secret Basement Preaching
In the afternoons, Jacob preached to Black Austinites in the basement of the old Methodist church at Brazos and Tenth Streets — years before emancipation gave him the right to do so openly.
1864
Organizing for Freedom
Jacob and other members of Austin's Black congregation began meeting secretly to organize a break from the White church. Freedom was coming. He was already preparing for it.
1867
First (Colored) Baptist Church Founded
After emancipation, Jacob founded the First (Colored) Baptist Church in Austin and was elected first moderator of the St. John Regular Missionary Baptist Association.
1873–1887
Five More Congregations Planted
Over fourteen years, Jacob planted Mount Zion, Good Hope, Sweet Home, New Hope, and St. Stephen's — six congregations across Central Texas in total.
The Congregations
Six Churches,
Twenty Years
Austin, Texas
First (Colored) Baptist Church
Founded the year of emancipation, this was Jacob Fontaine's first and most consequential congregation — the spiritual home of Austin's newly freed Black community. He also helped found the St. John Regular Missionary Baptist Association that same year and served as its first moderator.
Williamson Creek, Texas
Mount Zion Baptist Church
Six years after founding First Baptist, Jacob extended his ministry south of Austin to Williamson Creek — planting a congregation that would serve rural Black Texans navigating the hardships of Reconstruction.
Round Rock, Texas
Good Hope Baptist Church
Jacob traveled north to Round Rock in 1874 to plant Good Hope Baptist Church — bringing organized worship and community to freedmen in Williamson County, one year after Mount Zion.
Clarksville, Austin
Sweet Home Baptist Church
Clarksville — another freedmen's community on the western edge of Austin — received its own congregation in 1877. Sweet Home Baptist Church served one of Austin's most enduring Black neighborhoods, founded by freedman Charles Clark.
Wheatville, Austin
New Hope Baptist Church
Planted in the heart of Wheatville — the same community where Jacob lived and published the Gold Dollar — New Hope Baptist Church was a congregation born from the neighborhood Jacob had helped build over two decades.
Waters Park, Texas
St. Stephen's Baptist Church
In the same year as New Hope, Jacob planted St. Stephen's at Waters Park — his sixth and final congregation. By 1887, his ministry had stretched across Central Texas, from Austin's freedmen communities to the rural counties beyond.
Beyond the Pulpit
First Moderator of
the St. John Association
In 1867 — the same year he founded First Baptist — Jacob Fontaine helped establish the St. John Regular Missionary Baptist Association, originally known as the Travis County Association. He was elected its first moderator.
The Association connected Black Baptist congregations across the region — providing fellowship, accountability, and collective voice for churches that were just finding their footing in the years after emancipation.
Jacob also founded a local chapter of the Colored Brothers of the Eastern Star with his son Israel — extending his ministry beyond the church walls into fraternal community life.
1855
First Church Service
1867
First Congregation Founded
6
Churches Planted
20+
Years of Ministry
Explore the
Full Story
The ministry was one pillar. Discover the newspaper, the community, and the complete life of Jacob Fontaine — pastor, pioneer, and publisher.