Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1929-09-22
new CHURCHES
ADDDICNITYT TO
VALLEY Cities
Followers of All FaiFhs
Find Haven Of Wor-
ship In Beautiful
Valley Structures

history down TO the present cnlr-
ches have played an important role
In development OF the Lower Rio
Grande country. and today tle
churches stand foremost among
those factors which have laid oN
the Lower Rio Grande the f0unaa-
ton for "a progressive civilization
that has no peer.
From Mission To Brownsville now
churches raise their spires to the
skies; beautiful structures. evidence
OF the progressive spirit or the Val
ley people. their devotion wv their
respective faiths. and their 6eterrr-
nation 70 incuicate in future gem
erations and preserve WI the Valley
that spirit of religious observance
which has been the bulwark of
American civilization.
In the past three years Valley
communities have expended over
100000 IN the erection W nUw
c~hurches-a record that AN without
parallel in the South. Many of
these r beautiful and cOmmodious
structures designed I'd replace tla
buildings used by the pioneer coll
gregations. In practically every
city. town and community new
church buildings have been erected.
each an index To progressive spirit
OF the community and the Valley.
Many OF these structures were 3D.
nanced without outside aid. "A num-
Der were paid for before TILE f0un-
dalton was laid, the congregations
donating generously To erect build
ings that would serve for years WV
come.
Erect Substantial Buildings
In practically every community
the church builders have taken
cognizance of the fact that the VAL
ley Is developing rapidly and have
built for the future. erecting sub
stantial structures which Will serve
for many years. Without exception
the new churches are Wy the most
modern type. provided with every
necessary convenience. They exem-
plify "a great variety of architec-
tural designs. from the severe
Gothic 10 exotic Spanish. with fur
niShingS as beautiful as the strIic-
lures themselves.
Practically all leading denomina-
tons are represented in the variOi.z
Valley cities and towns. most ut llNL
organizations having erected lew
church homes within the past three
years. Baptist congregations have
new churches in Brownsville, San
Benito. Harrington. Edinburg Wes-
lacO. and McAllen. Meth0dist5 hayL
new churches at Harrington. San
Benito, Mission, WeSlaco and Nc
Allen: Catholics have erected new
buildings In Brownsville. McAllen
and Mission; P~resbyterlans at
Brownsville and Raymondvills.
Episcopalians at Brownsville and
Pharr. and Lutherans at Lyic-d
and Alamo. III several of the rural
communities new curches have been
erected BY various denominations.
First Churches at Brownsville
Brownsville, which was for years
the only city on the lower border,
became III the pioneer days w VAL
lev development the center il
which the various denominations
established. The first church Cn
the lower border was organized in
l848 when the Oblate Fathers. "A
French Catholic order. formed "a
congregation and erected the
church Of the Immaculate Concep-
cion. a beautiful structure which
still serves d large parish.
The first protestant congregation
was organized by the Eplscopaliaus
in 1852, and "a few years later The
Presbyterians organized, but did NOT
erect a church until 1870. Both
these pioneer congregations now
have beautiful church homes.
! The MethodiSts and Baptists also
first established I'LL the Valley at
Brownsville. organizing cOngrega-
tons shortly after the close oI the
Civil war. but permanent 0rgani1a-
tions were not effected until many
. years later. These denominations
finally erected small structures. and
! i'm 1924 the Methodists erected IN
J beautiful building AZ Tenth and
7 Washington. the Baptists erecting
their present corlmodicua structure
III 1926.
. In 1922 the second Catholic
i church-Church OF the Sacred
! I.eart-was erected u Brownsville,
, and "A third structure-Church cE
\ Our Lady off Guadalupe-was CON-
: pleted in the eastern part of the
: City III 1927.
Growth OF Valley Churches
r The Valley pioneers. attracted
: from the North and East by the
fertility of the lands OF rhe Lower
Rio Grande. directed their first Elm
= forts toward the erection ct schools
D and churches. Within "a few years
\ after completion Of the railroad in
: 1904 practically al the leading de-
nominations were represented in tAe
Y f~ast-grOwing communities during
? the first years community chufcles
\ served several denominations Dut
9 as the Valley developed and pros
pered the various denominations
erected buildings on their own. ana
s there are few Valley towns that Ao
: not have churches representing
) from two IN ten denomination
Settlers coming into the NAse4
E were largely Of the Protestant ia-It'
N and Protestant churches nave
: grown rapidly in numbers ana lA-
5 fluence IN recent years hy ls-o
= many w the Valley cities
Protestant congregation larger
\ than those or the Protestant
: churches Wy Brownsville VI MANY
NJ " the Valley towns have a-e--aA
: edifices when equal cr aNlpa
= those IVY tie original city cl lA-
y border
\ LOVELY CHARACTER"