El Paso First Ward Chapel
El Paso, El Paso County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The first ward, or congregation, of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) in Texas was organized in 1918 in El Paso. The ward met in members' homes and later in the Odd Fellows Hall until this chapel was built in 1931. The Mission Revival style structure features a rose window, a Renaissance arcade along one facade, and a tower with arcade. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1984
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The first ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in all of Texas was organized in El Paso in 1918, its members meeting in homes and later the Odd Fellows Hall until they could raise a building of their own. Completed in 1931, this Mission Revival chapel announced their permanence with a rose window, a Renaissance-style arcade, and an arcaded tower. It marks the church's earliest institutional foothold in the state.
Why it matters
The chapel documents the westward and southward spread of the Latter-day Saint movement into new corners of the country in the early twentieth century.
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Themes & tags
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