First Presbyterian Church
Kilgore, Gregg County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Organized in 1850 as Gum Spring Presbyterian Church in the rural Danville community, this congregation moved to Kilgore in 1874 and later changed its name to First Presbyterian Church. built as a result of the 1930s oil boom, this sanctuary replaced an earlier structure at the corner of South and Rusk streets, where oil wells surrounded church property. Reflecting the Gothic style of architecture, the building features a large stained glass window and a tri-partite Gothic-arched entry. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1989
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This congregation began in 1850 as the rural Gum Spring Presbyterian Church and followed its people into Kilgore by 1874. When the East Texas oil boom exploded across the 1930s—derricks crowding right up against the church lot—the flush of prosperity paid for this Gothic sanctuary, with its tri-partite arched entry and grand stained-glass window. The building marks where old-time Presbyterian piety met the frenzy of black gold.
Why it matters
It shows how the 1930s East Texas oil boom reshaped even the churches of small towns, funding permanent landmarks amid the largest oil field then known in America.
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Nearby & related markers
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