First Baptist Church of Pecos City

The congregation grew with a town that took decades to fill out. Pecos had about 150 people in 1885 and earned a name for violence after several gunfights in the 1890s. The First National Bank of Pecos had opened by 1904, when 639 people lived there, and the town reached 1,856 by 1914 before slipping back. It voted to incorporate in 1929 with 4,000 residents. World War II and Pecos Army Air Field pushed the count to 6,500 in 1943, and the 1950s closed with 14,200 people and 272 businesses.

What the plaque says

First Baptist Church of Pecos City The Rev. Sumner Battle Callaway (1852-1952) led the organization of this Baptist church in 1885 and served as its first pastor. Callaway had come to Texas from Georgia and had been Gov. Richard Hubbard's private secretary and a lawyer before entering the ministry. The eight charter members included Callaway, A. M. and Sallie Harris Walthall, and Mrs. Colvin. The congregation's first church building was completed in 1887. A larger sanctuary was built in 1910, during the pastorate of the Rev. J. B. Cole (1858-1947). The First Baptist Church of Pecos City was a member of the Sweetwater Baptist Association from 1886 until 1902, when the El Paso association was organized here. It later became part of the Pecos Valley association. Over the years, the fellowship has been served by a number of prominent pastors, including the Rev. L. R. Millican who preached on the west Texas frontier for more than 50 years. The First Baptist Church of Pecos City has been active in home and foreign missionary work and has placed a great emphasis on community service. (1985)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Roy Orbison Museum — 31 mi
  A volunteer-run room in the oil town where Roy Orbison spent his high school years, opened on request, with a guitar he played and his tinted prescription sunglasses.

More markers nearby

• First Christian Church — steps away
• George R. Reeves — 0.2 mi
• Reeves County — 0.3 mi
• The Pecos Cantaloupe — 0.4 mi