Faison House Hosting Renowned Primitive Artist for MLK Program

The Faison House is proud to feature world-renowned primitive folk artist Dorothy Shelby in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. She will be at the house from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, January 13, 2024, to display and sell her art.

Shelby did not pick up a brush and acrylic paint until August 2008, at age 64. Her art is known worldwide. She has been judged into many large shows and placed in galleries across the country. In 2018 her work was showcased in the Brenham Heritage Museum. Additionally, this talented woman is a wife, mother, grand- and great-grandmother, author, singer/songwriter, and pastor.

“The house has a fascinating African American history,” explained Faison Preservation Society President, Arnold Romberg. Louisiana Brown Faison (African American) owned the property from 1870 until 1872 and continued to be a property owner for the rest of her life. Nathaniel and Peter Faison had a half-brother, Peyton Faison (African American), who resided in the Fayette County area.

Additionally, copies of “African Americans of Round Top” by David Collins will be on sale at the house. The book tells the story of how former slaves thrived. In 1867, the group founded the Concord Missionary Baptist Church as a communal space for them to come together and pool their resources to buy their own land, build their own homes, and hire teachers, which led to the creation of the Concord Missionary Baptist Church Colored School. For generations, this school successfully educated freedmen, their children, and their descendants before finally closing its doors due to desegregation.

Fayette County historian Marie Watts will be present to discuss the planned African American Exhibit, Thriving Through God’s Grace, which tells the story of Louisiana and Peyton’s family.

The N.W. Faison House is on the National Register of Historic Places at the state level of recognition for this social history. Visit us at www. faisonhouse.org for more information about the house. The House is located at 822 S. Jefferson, La Grange, Texas 78945.