Jackson Ranch Church
Pharr, Hidalgo County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This fellowship was founded in 1874 by the Rev. Alexander H. Sutherland (1848-1911), an early Methodist missionary, on Juan Manuel de La Vina's El Capote Ranch. In 1883 the congregation began meeting near this site on the Jackson Ranch when owner Martin Jackson donated the land. He later built a small chapel for their use. In 1910 most of the church members moved to the new city of McAllen, and only a few families continued to worship here. As one of the first Protestant congregations in Hidalgo County, this church has continued to serve area residents. (1983)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Methodist missionary Rev. Alexander H. Sutherland founded this fellowship in 1874 on Juan Manuel de La Vina's El Capote Ranch in the Rio Grande Valley. By 1883 the congregation was meeting on the Jackson Ranch, where owner Martin Jackson donated land and built a small chapel. Though most members moved to the new city of McAllen in 1910, the church endured as one of Hidalgo County's earliest Protestant congregations.
Why it matters
The church marks the arrival of Protestant missions in the heavily Catholic Rio Grande Valley, a quiet chapter in the religious and cultural blending of the Texas-Mexico borderlands.
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Related people
- · Alexander H. Sutherland
- · Martin Jackson
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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