First Presbyterian Church of El Paso
El Paso, El Paso County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In the early 1880s, Presbyterians worshiped with other El Paso denominations in a union tent at the town's center. Their own congregation was organized on April 16, 1882, under the guidance of the Rev. John Alexander Merrill, who had traveled here from San Francisco about two years before. Sixteen charter members built a sanctuary at Myrtle Avenue and North Kansas Street, dedicated on March 7, 1883. The membership outgrew that building during the pastorate of Dr. Henry W. Moore (d. 1905) after 1896. A new structure at Yandell Blvd. and Stanton Street was dedicated on January 14, 1908, by Dr. W. Edward McLeod (d. 1908). By the early 1940s, membership reached 1400, and the congregation provided numerous religious and recreational services to soldiers based in El Paso during World War II. The church continued community work in post-war years with youth programs and missionary activities along the El Paso border. Under the pastorate of George W. Burroughs (1919-1966) a new church complex was begun at this site, where services were first held in 1958. As the first Presbyterian fellowship in Texas west of the Pecos, this church has strong ties to west Texas history and the development of modern El Paso. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836 - 1986
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
El Paso's Presbyterians first worshiped in a shared union tent at the town's center before organizing their own congregation in 1882 under the Rev. John Alexander Merrill. Sixteen charter members raised a sanctuary the next year, and the growing church moved into ever-larger buildings as El Paso boomed. By the 1940s it served 1,400 members and ministered to soldiers stationed nearby during World War II.
Why it matters
As the first Presbyterian congregation in Texas west of the Pecos, the church is woven into the settlement and growth of the far West Texas borderlands.
The story behind this marker
AI contextThe era
In the early 1880s El Paso was on the verge of a transformation. For generations the Pass of the North had been a crossroads, a place where the Rio Grande cut through the mountains and routes met between Mexico and the lands to the north. But the town itself was small until the railroads arrived around 1881. Almost overnight, El Paso became a junction linking the Pacific coast, the East and Mexico.
Boomtown life came with that growth: newcomers, saloons, new businesses and a rough reputation. Churches were part of how a raw railroad town tried to become a settled community. The marker's detail that El Paso's early Protestants shared a "union tent" at the town center captures that moment well. There were not yet enough members or money for each denomination to have a building of its own.
Over the following decades El Paso grew into a major Southwestern city. Its military presence expanded as well, and during World War II the city's army installations brought large numbers of soldiers to the area. The church's story follows that arc from tent to towers.
People & events
The congregation's founding figure was the Rev. John Alexander Merrill. According to the marker he came to El Paso from San Francisco around 1880 and guided the Presbyterians to organize formally on April 16, 1882. Sixteen charter members built their first sanctuary at Myrtle Avenue and North Kansas Street, and it was dedicated on March 7, 1883. For a church born in a shared tent, that was a big leap in less than a year.
The town's growth soon strained that first building. After 1896, during the pastorate of Dr. Henry W. Moore, the congregation outgrew it, and a new church at Yandell Boulevard and Stanton Street was dedicated in January 1908 by Dr. W. Edward McLeod. By the early 1940s membership had reached 1,400. During World War II the church offered religious and recreational services to soldiers stationed in El Paso, a home away from home for young men far from their own families.
After the war the congregation turned outward again, with youth programs and missionary work along the border. Under the Rev. George W. Burroughs, the church began the complex where the marker stands, and services were first held there in 1958. Across three quarters of a century, its buildings moved as the city grew, but the congregation carried on.
Its place in the American story
The story of this church is the story of how the American West filled in. Railroads created towns, and the people in those towns built institutions: schools, lodges and, very often, churches. As the first Presbyterian fellowship in Texas west of the Pecos, this congregation marks the moment organized Protestant church life took root in the far western corner of the state.
Its wartime role connects it to a national experience. During World War II, communities across the country near military posts opened their doors to service members. Churches, clubs and families became part of the home front's everyday support.
Finally, the church's location on the U.S.–Mexico border gives its history a distinctive character. Its postwar work along the border reflects El Paso's identity as a city that faces two countries. The marker itself was placed during the Texas Sesquicentennial of 1986, when communities across the state took stock of their local histories.
If you visit
El Paso rewards visitors who pay attention to its setting. The Franklin Mountains rise above the city, the Rio Grande runs along its edge, and Ciudad Juárez spreads across the river. Standing at this church, you are at the western tip of Texas, closer to the Pacific than to Houston.
As you look at the church complex, remember its journey. The congregation began in a tent, moved through two earlier downtown sanctuaries, and arrived here in the late 1950s. You can trace that story as you explore the older parts of the city, where the early streets named on the marker still run.
A marker like this makes a good stop on a broader El Paso visit that takes in the city's missions, its downtown and the mountain views. It is also a reminder of how many faith communities shaped the city.
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
- · John Alexander Merrill
- · Henry W. Moore
- · George W. Burroughs
Themes & tags
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