Near Ranger in Eastland County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Merriman Baptist Church
An oil boom hit the area in 1917. Trustees of the 29-member Merriman Baptist Church leased drilling rights on the property. When the Derrick struck oil, the well began to earn $300 to $400 per day. The congregation kept a small amount for operating expenses and gave the rest to various Baptist organizations and charities. For some time, the church was able to give about $100,000 a year to domestic and foreign missions, the Buckner Orphans Home, Dallas and Houston sanitariums, Simmons College, Old Ministers Relief, Baptist Standard Publishing Company, Southwest Baptist Theological Seminary, Christian education and other causes.
The noise of oil drilling operations in the area became disruptive to church services in 1918. The congregation built a tabernacle in the area in which services were held until 1922, when they erected a new brick edifice.
The Merriman Baptist Church boasted two hundred and twenty-five members in 1999, seven of whom were descended from the 1918 membership, and continued to meet in the structure erected 75 years before. The church continues to serve the area.
Erected 1999 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 11853.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Churches & Religion. A significant historical year for this entry is 1892.
Location. 32° 25.398′ N, 98° 41.918′ W. Marker is near Ranger, Texas, in Eastland County. Marker can be reached from Farm to Market Road 2461, one mile south of Interstate 20, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Ranger TX 76470, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Merriman Cemetery (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Site of J.H. McCleskey No. 1 (approx. 1.9 miles away); Ranger Municipal Airport (approx. 2˝ miles away); The Bankhead Highway (approx. 3.4 miles away); Well Number 19 (approx. 3.4 miles away); Site of First Oil Well Drilled in Eastland County (approx. 3.4 miles away); Roaring Ranger (approx. 3.4 miles away); Ranger Vietnam Veterans Memorial (approx. 3.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ranger.
Also see . . . Merriman, TX. From the Texas State Historical Association’s “Handbook of Texas Online”. (Submitted on September 13, 2016.)
Credits. This page was last revised on September 13, 2016. It was originally submitted on September 13, 2016, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas. This page has been viewed 427 times since then and 30 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 13, 2016, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas.