is rooted in the growth of Black Baptist life, education, and missionary work in North Louisiana during the years following the Civil War.

The movement that eventually became the Thirteenth District can be traced to the North Louisiana Association No. 1, organized in 1869, with Bishop John Jones serving as Moderator. In 1876, Bishop William Massy of Marshall, Texas, was appointed Educational and Financial Agent by Louisiana and Texas Baptists. His work helped provide financial support for early educational efforts in North Louisiana, including an educational rally that raised $100.

In 1880, following the separation of Louisiana Baptist work from its Texas connection, a local association was organized under the leadership of Bishop L. C. Capers. Among those associated with this early work were Luke Allen, Sr., N. W. Winston, Jackson Powell, Eli Adams, Dave Grantham, Tom Luke, and others. Bishop Robert Taylor was elected missionary and became one of the early missionary leaders of the region.

The Formal Organization

The Thirteenth District Association was formally constituted in 1888 at Antioch Baptist Church in Shreveport, Louisiana, where Elder L. Allen, Sr. was pastor. Hicks identifies L. Allen, Sr., C. S. Shelton, Allen Johnson, Daniel Gross, L. C. Capers, Robert Taylor, J. M. Carter, H. C. Coleman, F. J. Cook, and others as participants in its organization.

Bishop J. M. Carter was elected the Association's first Moderator, with Deacon A. A. Pradd serving as its first Secretary. Leadership later passed to L. C. Capers and, in 1894, to Elder Albert Isaac Carter. These early leaders helped establish the District as an important force for church development, missionary work, and education throughout North Louisiana.

Antioch Baptist Church held a particularly important place in this history. The congregation had its roots in the First Colored Baptist Church of Shreveport, a pioneering Black Baptist congregation associated with early leaders including Bishop John Jones and Albert Isaac Carter. Antioch subsequently became the setting for both the formal organization of the Thirteenth District and the development of its educational work.

A Commitment to Education

Education became one of the District's most important ministries. By the early 1890s, Dr. A. M. Newman was operating Providence Academy in connection with Antioch Baptist Church. In the fall of 1894, the Providence Academy Board and the Thirteenth District Executive Board met jointly at Antioch and agreed to establish the Thirteenth District Academy.

Professor William Hicks became principal, Miss Blanch Sterrett served as assistant, and Dr. Newman served as Educational Supervisor.

When Hicks began his work in October 1894, the school operated in a modest, deteriorating building. Through the commitment of District leaders, educators, ministers, and lay members, the institution grew into a substantial educational enterprise. A new two-story frame building costing $3,000 was eventually constructed, and the school expanded its enrollment to nearly 300 students under Hicks's leadership.

The school continued to develop after Hicks left in 1903, with leaders including J. H. Henderson and other educators helping expand its facilities, property, and educational program. By 1914, the institution included a school building, boys' department, city lots, and approximately 120 acres of farm land.

Growth and Legacy

The Thirteenth District continued to grow throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. By 1914, William Hicks reported that the District included approximately 94 churches and 9,000 members. Its work extended beyond the local church through the Sunday-School Association, Baptist Young People's Union, Woman's Home Mission Association, missionary activity, and education.

In 1913, Elder A. H. Samuels was elected Moderator, and he remained in that position in 1914. Other District leaders included E. S. Stills, C. S. Shelton, J. A. Steadman, J. J. Evans, and R. P. Player.

From its nineteenth-century roots in North Louisiana Baptist organizing to its formal constitution at Antioch Baptist Church in 1888, the Thirteenth District Missionary Baptist Association developed into a significant religious, educational, and community institution. Its history reflects the determination of generations of Baptist ministers, educators, women, young people, deacons, missionaries, and lay members who built churches, schools, and institutions that served their communities.

The story of the Thirteenth District is therefore more than the history of an association. It is a story of faith, education, leadership, missionary service, and community building that began in the years following emancipation and continued to shape Black Baptist life in North Louisiana into the twentieth century.