Museums, Memorials and Murals – Discover Black History in San Marcos

By Kaylie Kruk

Blog Content Contributor

Nestled throughout the historical Dunbar neighborhood in San Marcos lie many places that represent the city’s Black history and culture. From archival museums to honorable memorials to powerful murals, San Marcos is packed with African American history to commemorate this month.

Along Martin Luther King Drive, the words ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ etched in red paint stand out from the rustic, abandoned building it rests on. The building, as it happens, is the Old First Baptist Church that has stood in the Dunbar neighborhood for over 100 years after being rebuilt from the Klu Klux Klan burning down the original church in 1873.

During its prime, the Old First Baptist Church served as a safe haven for the African American community in San Marcos. Along with weekly church services, the congregation fostered many events at the church, such as weddings, funerals, graduations and community gatherings.

The local church remains a physical reminder of its once resilient, adoring congregation, which is reflected in the phrase now painted on the front of the building.

Diagonally from the church sits the Calaboose African American History Museum, one of the few Black history museums in the state of Texas.

The museum houses many different historical displays, including Eddie Durham, Ulysses Cephas, Ms. Ollie Hamilton, the cotton industry, the desegregation of Southwest Texas State, the Tuskegee Airmen, the KKK in San Marcos and much more.

The building was not always a museum, as it has a long history itself. It was originally utilized as Hays County’s first jail from 1873, hence the name “calaboose,” meaning local jail. The building was used as a USO for Black soldiers in the 1940s and was later converted into a community center for Dunbar residents.

Finally, after laying dormant for a number of years, Mrs. Jonnie Armstead, who had been displaying her relics at local trunk shows, approached the city of San Marcos to designate this building as a history museum.

President of the Calaboose Museum, Jo Ann Parsons, says Black history is all around the community.

“I think Black history is just our lives. We are Black history always. We make a lot of difference in the community in our own way. It wasn’t just Mrs. Armstead; it was a lot of people that led up to her, and then we followed her legacy.”

In December 2024, the Willie Mae Mitchell Center was officially transferred to the Calaboose Museum, taking meaningful steps towards expanding their collections and creating an important educational experience for the community.

“We are walking history around here, so that’s why it’s important for us to turn this into a museum district,” said Parsons.

“When people come here, they can hear about the jail, they can see the tattoo parlor that was Miss Ollie’s store and they can go to the Mitchell Center to learn about when it first started and how important it is for us to have that as an extension of the museum we already have.”

The Calaboose Museum continues to exhibit and preserve Hays County’s Black history through many collaborative events such as Black History Month at the Cephas House, National African American Read-In and the annual Eddie Durham Jazz Festival held in October.

All residents of Hays County and students of Texas State University are encouraged to attend the Eddie Durham Jazz Festival held in October. The museum works with the Texas State Jazz Ensemble to create an iconic Eddie Durham-inspired jazz atmosphere.

Continuing down Martin Luther King Drive, the intersection of this street with LBJ Drive inspired the building of the Crossroads Memorial. This memorial is a visible monument that honors both historic leaders: Martin Luther King Jr. and Lyndon B. Johnson, and their contributions to pivotal civil rights legislation.

The monument itself stands as a reminder to continue working towards the goals of equality, hope, community, opportunity, dignity and compromise — all words scribed into the pillars of the monument. As the sun shines on the meaningful memorial, a shadow is cast to display the outlines of the two leaders in the Oval Office.

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The Crossroads Memorial was rededicated last year to commemorate the 10th year of its unveiling. The memorial continues to be honored annually during Black History Month, MLK Day and President’s Day.

Illustrated behind the memorial is the “Celebrate Diversity: Our Common Thread” Mural created by San Marcos local Black artist Robert Jones. Community-funded and driven, the mural is a beautiful depiction of San Marcos’ diversity and unity.

“I thought about commonality while I was executing the painting, and everybody has something in common, and the commonality is the piece of thread that sews us all together,” said Jones at the unveiling ceremony in 2021.

The mural is intertwined with five small silhouettes of culturally diverse, prominent figures that have made an impact in the San Marcos community, including Harvey Miller, a local civil rights leader and activist.

Jones wanted the community to explore these historical figures further, so he placed QR codes that allow for more understanding of the person’s life and contributions to the city.

Black History Month is a commemorative month dedicated to celebration, education and representation, which is reflected throughout these significant spots in San Marcos, Texas.

To learn more about Black history in San Marcos, visit:  https://www.visitsanmarcos.com/blog/post/black-history-in-san-marcos/

Director’s Note: The original published article has been revised to remove misleading information about the Calaboose Museum.  The article has been revised to include the point of view of an official board member for the Calaboose Museum.