Friona in Parmer County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Site of First Church in City of Friona
Photographed by Bill Kirchner, May 3, 2012
1. Site of First Church in City of Friona Marker
Inscription.
Site of First Church in City of Friona. . The city of Friona was founded in 1906 by George G. Wright Land Co., of Kansas City, an agency employed by the XIT Ranch owners to sell their range lands in small tracts. Religious-minded settlers in 1908 organized the Union Congregational Church. Charter members included Mr. and Mrs. C.L. Fergus, Charles Karr, Mr. and Mrs. J.W. Karr, Walter Kell, William McCandlish, Mr. and Mrs. D.W. McMillen, Mr. and Mrs. Ross V. McWilliams, Mr. and Mrs. C.B. Oleson, Mr. and Mrs. John Orbaugh, Mr. and Mrs. Seth Roush, Bert Shattuck, Mrs. Nellie Shattuck, and A.N. Wentworth., George G. Wright donated six lots at this site and the Congregational Church Building Society of New York made a $770.00 construction grant. Friona's first church building, a frame structure with hand-painted, arched windows and a belfry, was completed and dedicated on May 23, 1909. The basement added in 1916 served as center for social activities. After that meetinghouse burned in 1921, this adobe chapel was built. It was used until the congregationalists in 1969 erected a sanctuary on a new site. In 1973, this building was given to the Girl Scouts to be used for their meeting hall and activities and for a “Pioneer Heritage Chapel and Museum”.
The city of Friona was founded in 1906 by George G. Wright Land Co., of Kansas City, an agency employed by the XIT Ranch owners to sell their range lands in small tracts. Religious-minded settlers in 1908 organized the Union Congregational Church. Charter members included Mr. and Mrs. C.L. Fergus, Charles Karr, Mr. and Mrs. J.W. Karr, Walter Kell, William McCandlish, Mr. and Mrs. D.W. McMillen, Mr. and Mrs. Ross V. McWilliams, Mr. and Mrs. C.B. Oleson, Mr. and Mrs. John Orbaugh, Mr. and Mrs. Seth Roush, Bert Shattuck, Mrs. Nellie Shattuck, and A.N. Wentworth.
George G. Wright donated six lots at this site and the Congregational Church Building Society of New York made a $770.00 construction grant. Friona's first church building, a frame structure with hand-painted, arched windows and a belfry, was completed and dedicated on May 23, 1909. The basement added in 1916 served as center for social activities. After that meetinghouse burned in 1921, this adobe chapel was built. It was used until the congregationalists in 1969 erected a sanctuary on a new site. In 1973, this building was given to the Girl Scouts to be used for
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their meeting hall and activities and for a “Pioneer Heritage Chapel and Museum”.
Erected 1975 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 4784.)
Location. 34° 38.189′ N, 102° 43.244′ W. Marker is in Friona, Texas, in Parmer County. It is at the intersection of West 6th Street and Cleveland Avenue, on the right when traveling west on West 6th Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 220 West 6th Street, Friona TX 79035, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on the Texas Panhandle. It is also on the American Great Plains and specifically on the Southern Plains. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Comancherνa, the Dust Bowl, the Republic of Texas, and one of the Confederate States of America.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on June 6, 2012, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. This page has been viewed 817 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on June 6, 2012, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
