Church of the Redeemer
Eagle Pass, Maverick County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Chaplains at Fort Duncan held the earliest Episcopal services in Eagle Pass in the 1850s. The Rt. Rev. R. W. B. Elliott, first bishop of the Missionary District of West Texas, with $500 contributed by the Eagle Pass Ladies Aid Society, led in planning the construction of this edifice in 1886-87. William G. Hausser was awarded a contract for the construction at a cost of $3,150. The Gothic revival structure was apparently completed in late 1887. The Rev. A. H. Noll, the first resident priest, initiated services here in February 1888. Bishop James Steptoe Johnston consecrated the church building on Ascension Day, May 15, 1890, during a meeting of the district convocation. The church continued as a mission until January 14, 1895, when the parish of the Church of the Redeemer, with sixteen members, was organized. The Rev. J. D. Worrell, Jr., was ordained to the deaconate and the Rev. R. E. Dicus and the Rev. E. L. Browning, who served as rectors here, later became bishops. The Cunning Workers Club, a ladies organization which functioned from 1902 to 1953, donated many of the furnishings and a number of the stained glass windows. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1978
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Episcopal worship in Eagle Pass began with Army chaplains at Fort Duncan in the 1850s, but a permanent home waited until 1886, when Bishop R. W. B. Elliott and $500 raised by the Eagle Pass Ladies Aid Society launched construction. Builder William G. Hausser completed the Gothic Revival church for $3,150, and it was consecrated on Ascension Day 1890. Women's organizations remained the congregation's backbone, with the Cunning Workers Club furnishing much of the interior and its stained glass across half a century.
Why it matters
This frontier parish shows how women's benevolent societies literally built and outfitted the churches that anchored community life on the Texas–Mexico border.
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Related people
- · R. W. B. Elliott
- · William G. Hausser
Themes & tags
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