Mentone Community Church
Mentone, Loving County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Built 1910 in Porterville, a town abandoned after Pecos River flood of 1930. Moved here for school and social center. Also used by various church groups and for non-denominational worship. Oldest building in Loving County. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1964.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This modest building was raised in 1910 in Porterville, a Pecos River town that a devastating 1930 flood left abandoned. Rather than let it stand empty, residents hauled it to Mentone to serve as a school, social hall, and gathering place for non-denominational worship. It survives as the oldest building in sparsely settled Loving County—the least-populated county in Texas.
Why it matters
In the thinly settled reaches of far West Texas, a single relocated building could carry a whole community's schooling, worship, and social life under one roof.
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Themes & tags
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