Dunbar Historic District
First Baptist Church, San Marcos (Hays County)
After the Civil War, formerly enslaved men and women in Hays and Caldwell counties gravitated to San Marcos, particularly after the arrival of the railroad in the 1880s. Most African-Americans settled south and west of the courthouse square in an area close to the railroad that was often flooded by Purgatory Creek. Later known as the “Dunbar Neighborhood,” it was here that modest frame houses and an early Freedmen’s Bureau school were constructed. Later, the imposing 1908 First Baptist Church towered over the neighborhood, populated by some of San Marcos’s leading Black families, including the blacksmith Ulysses Cephas.
Repeated catastrophic flooding, changing demographics, and well-intentioned but physically destructive “redevelopment” efforts throughout the 20th century have resulted in a significant loss of historic resources. Last surveyed in the 1990s, local residents and preservationists have set a goal of resurveying the neighborhood, applying for National Register designation, restoring landmark public buildings, and ensuring that the Dunbar Neighborhood’s important history survives.
UPDATE: The Dunbar Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2024.
ADDRESS: Around the 200-600 blocks of MLK Jr. Dr, San Marcos (Hays County)
DESIGNATION: NRHP, Local Historic District
OWNER: Various
RESOURCE TYPE: African-American Heritage
YEAR LISTED: 2021
