After the Civil War, as freed black Americans fled racial segregation in many Southern cities and towns, some fled to the countryside and formed their own communities.
AUSTIN, Texas — On the road less traveled: On the rolling prairie southeast of Austin, on FM 672 in Caldwell County, lies St. John Colony.
This is where, in the 1870s, 14 families fleeing segregation after the Civil War settled on 2,200 acres of land they called “God’s Country.” In St. John Colony, families built homes, worked the land and educated their children.
In the 1910s the colony became well known for its stores, cotton gin, post office and grist mill. The colony’s main school was built and hundreds of children were educated there over the years.
But over the decades, many of the descendants of the founding families have moved away. Today, only a few homes remain. But the people who grew up there, now in their 70s and 80s, still cherish the memories and spirit of the community.
Austin documentary filmmaker Bob Carstens is recording interviews with some of the people who lived in the colony to capture their memories of life on St. John, with the aim of making a film that can be shown in libraries and museums.
“St. John’s story is remarkable and needs to be heard by all people — white, black and brown,” Karstens said. “It’s a wonderful testament to what truly makes America great.”
Despite the old schoolhouse being converted into a museum, there are fears that one day the colony may exist only in history books, and Carstens fears that.
“They are fading away. They’re in their 70s and 80s and although they have memories and stories, they are fading away, just like all of us.”
Karstens said he hopes the film will promote the colony’s remarkable history and save St. John from the effects of time.
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