First Presbyterian Church
Fannin and 3rd Sts., Van Horn, TXConstructed in 1902 on land donated by the Texas and Pacific Railroad, the First Presbyterian Church of Van Horn, Texas was the first permanent, Protestant religious structure in Culberson County, Culberson County was originally organized out of the one-time larger El Paso County to the west. The organization papers of Culberson County and the selection of Van Horn as the County Seat were filed and approved in Austin, Texas on January 5, 1912. Named in honor of David B. Culberson, Colonel in the Texas Infantry and the Confederate Army, Culberson County is the third largest county in Texas, Van Horn, like so many West Texas cities, came into existence in the 1880s in direct response to railroad development. The Texas and Pacific Railroad dictated the settlement patterns of Culberson County as it and other railroads did in every West Texas County.
The First Presbyterian Church of Van Horn was organized in 1901 by Dr. Finch and the present structure was completed by 1902, William Fairly served as the second pastor of the church after Dr. Finch, Succeeding ministers have included: Rev. Miller, Rev. Bidwell, Rev. Mc Murray, Rev. Galloway, Rev. Elder, and finally Rev. John Byrd.
The small annex to the rear of the church building originally served as temporary quarters for the resident minister until the present manse on an adjoining lot was built in 1913.
Traditionally, the First Presbyterian Church has served the community of Van Horn as a center for religious and social activities throughout this century. Functioning originally as an interdenominational church, the present structure housed several other denominations before the construction of their own houses of worship.
The scene of prominent Van Horn weddings, funerals, and seasonal social functions, the First Presbyterian Church of Van Horn served as a church until its recent desanctification and transfer of ownership to the Culberson County Historical Survey Committee.
Local members of the Historical Survey Committee look forward to the physical restoration of the First Presbyterian Church of Van Horn and to the "restoration of the structure to its place of prominence in the community as a scene of town meetings, lectures, community presentations, and museum displays on the history of Van Horn and greater Culberson County.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.