Built in 1920 (Neoclassical architecture). Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.
“James Christian Methodist Episcopal Church is a historic church at 408 N. Border Avenue in Tyler, Texas, United States.”
Wikipedia article St. James Colored Methodist Episcopal Church, CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 37 National Register listings published here for Smith County · listed in 2004 · category: Building · built in 1920, Neoclassical architecture.
Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 367 fires within 5 miles of St. James Colored Methodist Episcopal Church between 1992 and 2019, burning about 1,102 acres in total. 4 started naturally. 24 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 194 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 95 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 24 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 19 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 10 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 9 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 7 |
| Smoking | 5 |
| Natural | 4 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 2011 | Misuse of fire by a minor | under an acre | Texas A & M Forest Service | GRASS FIRE |
| 8 September 2013 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | 6298 |
| 8 September 1995 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | not named |
| 7 September 2015 | Debris and open burning | 2.5 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | 1143 FIRE |
| 5 September 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | CHAPEL HILL GRASS FIRE FM 850 |
| 5 September 2009 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | FM14 |
| 4 September 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Texas A & M Forest Service | GRASS FIRE |
| 30 September 2011 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | HENDERSON - 588 |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 4 workings within 5 miles of St. James Colored Methodist Episcopal Church: 3 producers, 1 occurrence. 3 still produce. What was taken out: Silica, Halite, Gypsum-Anhydrite, Limestone, General, Clay. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Clay Forming Plant | Clay | Producer | ||
| East Tyler Salt Dome | Halite, Gypsum-Anhydrite, Limestone, General | Occurrence | Anhydrite, Calcite, Halite | |
| Bell Dredge & Pit | Silica | Producer | ||
| Stricklin Dredge & Pit | Silica | Producer |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Tyler, the town this property stands in, in 233 storm reports between 1993 and 2026: 108 thunderstorm wind, 85 hail, 25 flash flood, 9 lightning. The reports record 4 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 1997 | Lightning | Tyler | 2 hurt | Two men were transported to the hospital after being shocked by a lightning strike outside a Tyler store (The Christmas Store and Partly Place at 1910 Roseland Blvd, part of Bergfeld Center). Both men were treated and released at East Texas Medical Center. Neither man was seriously injured. Witnesses said they saw lightning "skipping around the parking lot" at the time of the incident. |
| June 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tyler | 1 hurt, $20,000 | A man was injured when a tree fell across his truck at CR 2298 and FM 850. |
| February 1996 | Tornado (F0) | Tyler | 1 hurt, $8,000 | no account filed |
| July 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tyler | $150,000 | A large tree fell through a home in the 3000 block of Dinah Lane in south Tyler. The house was deemed a total loss by insurance claim adjusters. |
| January 1999 | Hail | Tyler | $150,000 | Numerous automobiles and roofs were damaged. |
| June 2008 | Lightning | Tyler | $70,000 | Lightning struck a two-story home inside a gated community causing a two-alarm fire in the city of Tyler, Texas. The home was in the 3500 block of Melanie Court inside the River Oaks community. |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tyler | $50,000 | Trees were downed near town. Damaging wind gusts caused a portion of a roof over The Ink Well in the Commerce Square on Loop 323 to crash down on several cars. Police also blocked off several city streets at the height of the storm due to downed trees in the city. |
| May 2007 | Lightning | Tyler | $50,000 | Lightning struck a home in Tyler, Texas blasting away part of the homes siding and catching the attic on fire. The home was at least a 50 percent loss. There were no injuries. |
| April 2007 | Lightning | Tyler | $50,000 | Lightning struck a home in the Hollytree subdivision of South Tyler resulting in a fire. The home suffered moderate damage. |
| May 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tyler | $40,000 | Trees and powerlines down. One tree fell across a home near Tyler. He was not home at the time of the incident. |
| May 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tyler | $40,000 | Several large trees down including one across a home and another across a suburban on the southwest side of town. |
| March 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tyler | $34,000 | A mobile home was flipped over and numerous trees were reported snapped and pushed over. |
| April 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tyler | $30,000 | Several trees were downed in the city. A tree was downed at Wilma and Crestview Streets and a tree was downed on a home in the Azalea District. A tree was downed at Sixth Street and Broadway and the tree fell on an automobile. Another tree was downed at Sneed and Third Streets with a tree downed on George and Locust Streets. |
| July 2011 | Lightning | Tyler | $30,000 | Lightning struck a home resulting in a house fire in the 10000 block of Deer Creek Drive. There were no injuries reported. |
| August 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tyler | $30,000 | Trees and powerlines were downed in town on County Road 3013. A tree was also down on a home in Tyler, Texas on the 600 block of Chilton. |
| July 2007 | Flash Flood | Tyler | $30,000 | Several roads closed due to flooding across the county. A couple had to be rescued from their home in Winona, Texas when Harris Creek near county road 354 came up suddenly. Some of the roads that had to be closed included county roads 262...2122...1156...146...165...2180... 2276...2143...461 and 289. Other closed roads included county roads 2103...1114...1308...490...1143...2195...1145 and 179. |
| October 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tyler | $30,000 | no account filed |
| July 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tyler | $20,000 | A tree was downed on a house in Tyler, Texas. There were no report of injuries. |
| February 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tyler | $20,000 | A tree was downed on a home on Kendall Drive off of Old Jacksonville Road. There were no report of any injuries. |
| January 1998 | Flash Flood | Tyler | $20,000 | Numerous homes flooded across south and west side of town. Numerous county roads also under water. |
| June 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tyler | $15,000 | A tree fell on a car on Phillips Street in Tyler, Texas. There were no reports of injuries. |
| February 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tyler | $12,000 | A vehicle suffered roof damage and a carport suffered heavy damage. |
| July 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tyler | $10,000 | A tree was blown down onto a mobile home. |
| March 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tyler | $8,000 | Damage reported to the Carrier plant and the Townhouse motel. |
| July 2007 | Flash Flood | Tyler | $7,000 | Several roads were closed due to flash flooding including county roads 2301...474...496 and 472. A large sinkhole sits on county road 2301 after a culvert gave way. |
| April 2023 | Tornado (EF0) | Tyler | $5,000 | A NWS Storm Survey and local area spotter videos confirmed a slow moving but weak EF-0 tornado with maximum estimated winds near 80 mph touched down in the Midtown area of Tyler. The tornado initially touched down near Lloyd James Funeral Home near the intersection of East 1st Street and South Fleishel Avenue, where numerous large and small limbs were snapped off of nearby trees with a few shingles torn off of the roof of the funeral home. In addition, a large canopy on the front entrance of the funeral home was torn off and thrown into a nearby tree. The tornado then moved just northeast of the UT Health Tyler Campus, where it crossed East Idel Street, and peeled off a portions of a metal roof from a nearby medical building. A glass canopy was partially lifted up and shattered in front of the medical building, and a nearby hardwood tree had several limbs that were snapped. The tornado continued northeast along South Fleishel Avenue, where it uprooted a hardwood tree which damaged the corner of a nearby single family home at the end of Woodley Street, and also snapped large limbs off of a softwood tree on East Houston Street before lifting. |
| October 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tyler | $5,000 | Several pieces of an overhanging awning were blown off a pharmacy building just west of the Loop and Hwy. 64. |
| January 1999 | Hail | Tyler | $5,000 | Golfball sized hail broke out automobile windows. |
| July 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tyler | $5,000 | Tree fell on a house in the Chapel Hill Subdivision. |
| May 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tyler | $5,000 | Trees were blown down by thunderstorm winds. |
| July 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tyler | $5,000 | Trees were blown down onto Highway 2261. |
| July 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tyler | $5,000 | A 40-foot tree was uprooted on Highway 31. |
| November 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tyler | $5,000 | Trees were blown down by high winds. |
| June 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tyler | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tyler | $3,000 | A large tree limb fell on a home causing minor roof damage near Hwy. 271 on the northeast side of town. |
| July 2007 | Flash Flood | Tyler | $3,000 | Up to three feet of water was reported at the intersection of Bonner and Ferguson Streets. A car was stalled with occupants inside needing police assistance. County road 2301 was also washed out due to excessive heavy rainfall and flash flooding. |
| August 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tyler | $2,000 | Power lines were blown down by high winds. |
| March 1996 | Hail | Tyler | $2,000 | no account filed |
| May 2017 | Lightning | Tyler | $1,000 | Lightning struck a chimney on a home on West 3rd Street at College Avenue resulting in the chimney collapsing. |
| June 2007 | Lightning | Tyler | $1,000 | Lightning destroyed a power pole and knocked down power lines at the 2900 block of Robertson Road. |
| November 1997 | Lightning | Tyler | $1,000 | Lightning damaged the intercom wiring at the Caldwell Zoo in Tyler. Although a concession stand was nearby, damage was confined to the wiring. |
| February 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tyler | $500 | A shed was blown down by thunderstorm wind. |
| May 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tyler | $100 | Some siding was blown off a building just off the southwest loop in Tyler, Texas. |
| April 2026 | Hail | Tyler | - | Hail ranging from pea to quarter size covered the ground on the south side of Tyler. |
| June 2025 | Flash Flood | Tyler | - | Flash flooding reported in downtown Tyler. |
| February 2024 | Hail | Tyler | - | Ping pong ball size hail reported to be widespread across South Tyler. |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tyler | - | Wind gusts reported up to 70 mph. |
| March 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tyler | - | Numerous trees and power lines downed across parts of Smith County. |
| October 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tyler | - | Several trees downed in Tyler. |
| October 2023 | Flash Flood | Tyler | - | High water reported near UT Tyler Health with several intersections flooded in the city of Tyler. |
| September 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tyler | - | Numerous trees downed across the city of Tyler and Smith County. |
| April 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tyler | - | Damaging straight line winds affected much of the Azalea District south of Downtown Tyler, with a prolonged period of high winds impacting the area from a squall line of severe thunderstorms. Multiple hardwood trees were uprooted across the area, falling in a northeasterly direction with some tree trunks falling into buildings as well as one vehicle near West Philips Street. Hardwood tree uproots were the primary damage indicator, with winds estimated up to 100 mph. |
| April 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tyler | - | Windows were blown out at the Mother Frances Hospital near Downtown Tyler. |
| April 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tyler | - | A tree was blown down near FM 2493 and 6th Street. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tyler | - | Trees downed along Broadway Avenue in Tyler and near the UT Tyler campus. |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tyler | - | Widespread downed trees, power lines, and power poles reported throughout the city of Tyler. |
| April 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tyler | - | Large tree limbs were downed in Mid-Town Tyler. Power was also out to the area. |
| April 2020 | Hail | Tyler | - | Quarter size hail fell on the northwest side of Tyler. |
| May 2017 | Hail | Tyler | - | Quarter size hail reported at the University of Texas in Tyler. |
| February 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tyler | - | Numerous trees and power lines were downed throughout Tyler. |
No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.
Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short-Line Residential Historic District | 0.1 miles | 2002 | |
 | Tyler City Hall | 0.3 miles | 2007 |
 | Goodman-LeGrand House | 0.3 miles | 1976 |
| Campbell Building-Union Bus Station | 0.3 miles | 2023 | |
 | Moore Grocery Co. Building | 0.3 miles | 2002 |
 | Tyler Grocery Company | 0.3 miles | 2002 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 04000887 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Smith County | All 37 listed properties in this county. |
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