On Saturday, March 5, 2022, a group of sixteen youth and adults caravanned from St James’, Austin, down to San Antonio, Texas on a day trip sponsored by the Union of Black Episcopalians (UBE) – Myra McDaniel Chapter’s youth program, to learn about the saint Artemesia Bowden, and the legacy she left for all of us.

With Covid surges and closures, this trip was a pilgrimage a long time in the making, as we had to schedule and reschedule and reschedule this trip. It was worth the while.

Here are a few highlights from our visit.

Some of what we learned about Blessed Artemisia Bowden

Artemisia Bowden (1879-1979), referred to as “the savior of St Philip’s College” dedicated her entire career to her hope dreams of establishing a strong and an enduring educational institution.

She was born in Georgia, and was the daughter of, formerly enslaved parents, Milas Bowden and Mary (Molette) Bowden). She graduated from St. Augustine’s Normal School in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1900. After teaching for two years in North Carolina, Bishop Steptoe Johnston of the Diocese of West Texas brought her from North Carolina in 1902, to lead a school that began in 1898 as a weekend sewing class for six black girls, and Artemisia Bowden joined the school as administrator and teacher. (During this period, the institution was known as Bowden’s School.)

Under her leadership, the school grew from an industrial school for girls into a high school and later a junior college. During those fifty-two years, Artemisia Bowden served a Principal, President and Dean. Upon her retirement, she was named Dean Emeritus; and posthumously she was designated President Emeritus.

(Among her many academic honors and distinctions, she was awarded an honorary doctorate in 1952 from Tillotson College, now Huston-Tillotson University, in Austin).

Today St Philip’s is an accredited two two-year college with 18,000 credit and continuing education students and 172 academic and vocational programs.

Guided by the Episcopal faith and its ideas, Artemesia Bowden remained a devout Episcopalian for her entire life.

Photos: St Philip’s College

UBE Myra McDaniel Chapter youth group photo at St Philip's College

Excerpt from the plaque inside St Philip’s College, dedicated November 20, 2015

“The Collect: Dr. Artemesia Bowden O God, by your Holy Spirit, you give gifts to your people so that they might faithfully serve your Church and the world: We give you praise for the gifts of perseverance, teaching and wisdom made manifest in your servant, Artemisia Bowden, who you called far from home for the sake of educating the daughters and granddaughters of former slaves in Texas, We thank you for blessing and prospering her life’s work, and pray that, following her example, we may be ever mindful of the call to serve where you send us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Other Sites

We also toured the San Antonio African American Community Archive & Museum (SAAACAM), where we received a guided tour of some of San Antonio’s history timeline, past and present, and wider connections to American History. (Did you know every public transit bus in San Antonio now has a seat dedicated to Rosa Parks?)

We noticed a familiar face on the timeline on the museum’s walls: 1902 Educator and Episcopalian Saint: Artemisia Bowden! Thrilled to hear of our knowledge of her, museum staff shared that the original building of the school she founded still stands and is in use in La Villita. It is currently the store Bird and Pear (and the staff are aware of the history of the building they work in). They believe that the upstairs floor of the building housed those first sewing classes when the school opened long ago. Now, coming full circle, the space serves as a private sewing room where the owner and staff create some of the handmade items the store carries.