First Methodist Church of Borger
Borger, Hutchinson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
A. P. "ACE" Borger purchased 240 acres of land here in January 1926 and began to establish a new town. Within ninety days, the oil field town named for Borger had a population of more than 50,000 people. The Rev. W. M. Lane, the presiding elder of the Amarillo district of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, visited Borger and decided to establish a church. The Rev. Orion W. Carter conducted the first worship service in the local grocery store. By July 1926 the church was formally organized by Carter with 15 charter members, and a 36' x 60' church building was erected by Guy Rich. By the end of the year the Sunday School had an enrollment of 250, and women's and youth programs were established. An addition was built in 1928 to accommodate the growing membership. A second church structure, located on the corner of West Second and North Hedgecoke, was erected in 1930. The edifice served the congregation until 1952, when a third sanctuary was constructed at West Second and North McGee streets. An educational building was added in 1960. The congregation has grown with the city of Borger, and maintains a strong community presence. (1997)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When A.P. "Ace" Borger bought 240 acres in 1926 to found a Panhandle oil-boom town, its population exploded past 50,000 within ninety days. A visiting Methodist elder resolved to plant a church, and Rev. Orion W. Carter held the first service in a local grocery store before formally organizing the congregation that July with fifteen charter members. From a small first building the church grew through successive sanctuaries as it kept pace with the raw, booming city around it.
Why it matters
It captures the frenzied birth of a Texas oil-boom town and the role churches played in bringing order and community to the chaos of instant cities.
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Related people
- · A.P. "Ace" Borger
- · Orion W. Carter
Themes & tags
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