First Baptist Church of El Paso
El Paso, El Paso County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The first meeting of Baptists in El Paso was held on August 26, 1882, at the home of Maj. and Mrs. W. F. Fewel, under the leadership of the Rev. George Baines, Jr. One week later he directed the formation of this congregation, which was chartered with 22 members. The first sanctuary, constructed in 1885 at Magoffin and San Antonio, served until 1906 when new facilities were occupied at Magoffin and Virginia. In 1922 First Baptist merged with Central Baptist Church and moved to this location. Through its missions, First Baptist Church has started 12 other churches in El Paso and Juarez. 1983
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In August 1882 a handful of Baptists first gathered in a private El Paso home under the Rev. George Baines, Jr., chartering this congregation a week later with just 22 members. Their first sanctuary went up in 1885 as the border town was taking shape, and a 1922 merger with Central Baptist brought the church to this site. Over the years its missions seeded a dozen more churches on both sides of the Rio Grande.
Why it matters
The congregation's growth mirrors the rapid rise of El Paso as a rail-era border city, where American religious life spread outward into the borderlands and northern Mexico.
The story behind this marker
AI contextThe era
In 1882 El Paso was a town transformed almost overnight. For generations the river crossing here had linked New Mexico, Chihuahua and the wider Southwest along old trade routes. Then in 1881 the railroads arrived. Rail lines from several directions converged on the pass, and a sleepy border settlement suddenly became a boomtown.
Newcomers poured in: merchants, railroad workers, speculators, soldiers, families and people who simply wanted a fresh start in the West. El Paso had a reputation as a rough frontier town, with saloons and gambling halls lining its streets. At the same time, it was building the institutions of a permanent city, including schools, businesses and churches.
Across the Rio Grande sat the older Mexican town then called Paso del Norte, later renamed Ciudad Juárez. The two communities were deeply connected by family, trade and daily life. Any religious group putting down roots in El Paso was also working in a borderland where two nations and cultures met.
People & events
The first Baptist meeting in El Paso took place on August 26, 1882, in the home of Maj. and Mrs. W. F. Fewel. Many frontier congregations started this way, in a parlor or living room, before anyone could afford a building. The Rev. George Baines, Jr., led the gathering.
The group moved quickly. Just one week later, Baines guided the formal organization of the congregation, which was chartered with 22 members. That small group was a foothold for Baptists in a fast-growing, fast-changing town.
In 1885 the congregation built its first sanctuary at Magoffin and San Antonio. The street name recalls the Magoffin family, whose history in the area goes back to before the Civil War. The building served until 1906, when the church moved into new facilities at Magoffin and Virginia as El Paso kept growing. In 1922, First Baptist merged with Central Baptist Church and moved to its present location.
The church also reached outward. Through its mission work, First Baptist started 12 other churches in El Paso and Juárez. A congregation that began in one family's home became the parent of a whole network of churches on both sides of the Rio Grande.
Its place in the American story
First Baptist Church of El Paso shows how American religious life followed the railroads west. In the 1880s, rail lines carried people and denominations into places that had been remote only a few years before. Protestant congregations like this one sprang up in new railroad towns throughout the West. They gave newcomers a sense of order, belonging and permanence.
El Paso's location adds another layer. The city sits on an international border, so the church's missions naturally extended into Mexico. Its founding of churches in Juárez reflects a larger pattern of religious, cultural and economic exchange between the two countries, which has shaped the border region for generations.
The congregation's moves and merger also reflect the lifecycle of American urban churches. As cities grew, congregations relocated, built larger sanctuaries and sometimes joined forces to grow stronger. First Baptist's path from a parlor meeting to a mother church of a dozen congregations is a borderland version of a very American story.
If you visit
El Paso is one of the most distinctive cities in Texas. Mountains rise above the city, the Rio Grande runs along its edge and Ciudad Juárez spreads out across the river. As you visit the church's present site, keep in mind the congregation's earlier homes at Magoffin and San Antonio, then at Magoffin and Virginia. The church moved several times as the city grew around it.
This is an active church, so be respectful of services and church activities. The marker is a good starting point for thinking about how a railroad boomtown became a major border city. Many of El Paso's historic neighborhoods and landmarks date from the same decades of rapid growth.
If you're on a longer Southwest road trip, El Paso makes a fine stop between West Texas and New Mexico. Pairing this marker with other sites from El Paso's railroad era gives you a vivid picture of how quickly this crossroads town changed after 1881.
Written by AI to add context, grounded in the marker’s inscription and the historical record. The inscription above is the original, unaltered text.
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Related people
- · Rev. George Baines, Jr.
Themes & tags
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