History

Founded more than 143 years ago, McGee Chapel Missionary Baptist Church is an enduring house of praise and worship for the surrounding community. Our history dates back to the years immediately following the end of the Civil War. In 1869, a former slave named David McGee purchased about 370 acres of land in Harris County. This property marked the beginning of what became known as the McGee Settlement — where the original site of McGee Chapel Missionary Baptist Church would be located.

A group of devout Christians in the McGee Settlement would hold prayer and worship services in one another’s homes. Due to their growing numbers, the worshipers decided to build a church edifice in 1912 on “Prairie off Goar Road.” The Rev. P.A. McGee, a descendant of David McGee, became the first pastor. The Goar Road site had no public road access and members had to cross fields and private property to reach the church. During heavy rainfall, members had to wade through knee-deep mud to attend services. Members voted to move to a location more readily accessible to a public road.

Between 1919 and 1921, the church was literally moved to 2025 ½ Highway 6 South, on property purchased for $150. The moving process involved placing the church on two logs to form a skid which was then hitched to a team of mules. Chains were then secured around the church building where it was pulled onto roller logs. The moving process took several days before ending at the current Highway 6 location on a Sunday morning.

From its early years through the 1940s, McGee Chapel was a center for community needs and social events as well as a place of worship. For years, the church served as a distribution point for needed goods like clothes, shoes and medicine. An unwavering faith in God has always sustained McGee Chapel’s congregation through the most challenging times.