Blue Bluff Church is one of the many forgotten churches of Austin and Travis County. Not many people know about the Blue Bluff Church of Austin, Texas. This news article will explain the in-depth history of Blue Bluff Church.
Blue Bluff Church started as a small two-room church building in 1876 located at 11019 FM 969. This small two-room church building was constructed using brick and wood. A third room was constructed using wood in 1877. The church called Blue Bluff Church was an African American church.
Overtime the small church became a renown church to the Decker community and City of Austin. Capacity for this church grew from 20 to 40 attendees by 1880. By late 1880, 2 wells were dug to retrieve water from the Colorado River.
In 1900, Blue Bluff Church became known as an established church for the Decker community. The name “Blue Bluff Church” started appearing on city and county maps by 1900 and as “Blue Bluff Ch.”. 1959 is the year when Blue Bluff Church was renamed to Rockquarry Missionary Baptist Church.
The church building was remodeled in 2009. A new one story brick built was built on the same site at the exact same position. Walls to the front and back were constructed out of red brick. New windows were brought in.
Today the Blue Bluff Chapel is now operating under the name Rockquarry Missionary Baptist Church for which the church has been since 1959.
Blue Bluff Church is located at 11019 FM 969, Austin, Texas, US 78725.
Blue Bluff Church was located at the same location of Rockquarry Missionary Baptist Church on FM 969 as shown on the 1971 USGS topographical map of that area. Blue Bluff Church on city and county maps is labeled instead as “Blue Bluff Ch.” such as cited on the 1956 USGS topographical map of East Austin Quadrangle and the 1971 USGS topographical map of East Austin Quadrangle.
This may, however, be a labeling error on part of the USGS surveyors who surveyed and laid out the map. Rockquarry Missionary Baptist Church has been extant at that location since at least 1919. Blue Bluff Church is located where Rockquarry Missionary Baptist Church is today on the 1971 USGS topographical map of that area.
Despite being known as Rockquarry Missionary Baptist Church, USGS surveyors refereed to the church building as “Blue Bluff Ch.” on the 1971 USGS topographical map of East Austin Quadrangle, the 1987 USGS topographical map of East Austin Quadrangle, and the 1994 USGS topographical map of East Austin Quadrangle
As for Blue Bluff School…
In 1885, a wooden school building called Blue Bluff School was built for Blue Bluff Church to become a private school located in a separate building at the corner of FM 969 & Blue Bluff Road which was operated by Blue Bluff Church. The Blue Bluff School educated students in grades 1 through 7. Middle school grades 6 and 7 were included by 1886.
Blue Bluff School was a private school considered by the Decker community to be a religious school. The Blue Bluff School was a church school indeed. Blue Bluff Church owned the Blue Bluff School.
By 1898, this school would become a public school during weekdays (Monday through Friday) for the Decker School District (of what is now Manor ISD) and a private school on weekends. Church services and religious ceremonies were held in the school building on weekends.
In 1900, Manor ISD oversaw allocating funds for the school. The school was a public school by 1900 officially on city and county maps. Blue Bluff School operated as a public school at one point for the Decker School District from 1898 to 1941. Blue Bluff School had educated students in grades 1 through 6.
During the year of 1901 is when Blue Bluff School stopped educating 7th grade students. 7th grade was dropped for the Blue Bluff School and students in 7th grade now had to transfer to Manor ISD or Austin ISD to attend school. However most 7th grade students transferred to Manor ISD to attend schools in Manor, Texas. Most if not all 7th grade students were bussed to Manor Junior High School (now Manor Middle School) in Manor, Texas.
Blue Bluff School was consolidated into Manor ISD in 1941 along with the Decker School in the Decker School District. By 1943, Blue Bluff School closed and the property reverted back to Blue Bluff Church. The school was demolished shortly thereafter.
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