Mount Zion United Methodist Church

BELTON (BELL COUNTY)

Mount Zion United Methodist Church was built in 1893 in one of Belton’s most prominent African American neighborhoods of the time. This impressive Gothic Revival structure, an enduring symbol of physical and cultural heritage, has served its community for more than a century and continues to be used by the congregation today. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. Over time, age and flooding compromised the building’s integrity, making foundation and wall stabilization, as well as repairs to the exterior woodwork, essential.

In 2022, the project received a $75,000 grant from Preservation Texas’s Rural African American Heritage Grants Program. This funding supported the restoration of the original wood windows, installation of new wood louvers, repairs to the bell tower siding, and restoration of the decorative wood shingles on the building’s gable ends.

Additional funding for the full rehabilitation included $100,000 from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, $371,389 in federal ARPA funds allocated by the City of Belton, and $25,000 raised by the Mount Zion UMC congregation.

Mount Zion UMC before rehabilitation work in 2023.

Mount Zion UMC after rehabilitation work in 2025.

On June 27, 2025, Preservation Texas staff attended the ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating the completion of this major rehabilitation project. Conor Herterich, manager of our Rural African American Heritage Grants Program, spoke at the event alongside Belton City Manager Sam Listi, project architect Donna Carter, contractor RM Rodriguez, and Mount Zion pastor Rev. Patrick Russell.