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.
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Related people
- ¡ John Alexander Merrill
- ¡ Henry W. Moore
- ¡ George W. Burroughs
Themes & tags
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