Save the Bell ProjecT

This bell was cast at the Fulton Foundry in Pittsburgh, PA in 1849. It is but a reminder and in recognition of the historical significance of St. Peter’s Congregation and the important role it played in the life of the early Matagorda township.

It is not certain or recorded how the bell found it’s way to the First Baptist Church of Matagorda and and finally to the St. Peter’s Baptist Church. St. Perter’s Baptist church is said to have been organized by the area African Americans in the early 1870’s. Unfortunately, the early records were lost in heavy storms that frequent the area in the summer and fall. The heirs of Samuel Rhoads Fisher, who was a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, deeded the land to the Trustees of St. Peter’s in 1879. In 1928 after the original church building burned, the members of the First Baptist Church of Matagorda gave their building along with the bell to the congregation of St. Peter’s Baptist.

Matagorda Historical Society has been designated the indefinite conservators of the bell by Mrs. Carolyn Sue Holt Boulden, who is the daughter of the late Rev. John Holt, who served as the pastor of St. Peter’s for many years and the late Mrs. Wilma Holt. The bell was rescued from the deteriorating old church building, restored and placed on display on the Matagorda Heritage Park property with the help of Thomas Sutton and Philip Howell in late 2022

Exterior of St. Peter’s Baptist Church

Interior Photos of St. Peter’s Baptist Church