DUANE
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Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, El Paso has seen some things. Desert sun, border crossings, the whole sweep of the American West rolling through.
But let me tell you about a particular Sunday, because on January 29, 1882, something happened at this very spot that the whole city would end up arguing about. The members of Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church, South, walked through the doors of their brand new sanctuary for the very first time. A frame structure, mind you, with arched windows and a forty-foot bell tower reaching up toward that wide Texas sky.
Built under the leadership of the Reverend John R. Carter, and built with purpose. Now, other churches in El Paso had their own ideas about who got there first.
They competed for the honor, as well they might. But Trinity's sanctuary, right here, was the first church building constructed in the city of El Paso. Full stop.
The other contenders could argue all they liked. The record stood. Trinity wasn't done with this spot either.
They built a second sanctuary right here before eventually moving on to a new site in 1906. Decades passed, the city grew up around the memory of that bell tower, and then in 1979 a merger brought Trinity together with the First Methodist Church, and from that union came the name you might know today: Trinity First United Methodist Church. One site.
One bell tower. The first. Sometimes that's all a story needs.
What the marker says
On January 29, 1882, members of Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church, South, first met in their new sanctuary at this site. Built under the leadership of the Rev. John R. Carter, it was a frame structure with arched windows and a 40-foot bell tower. Other churches competed for the honor, but Trinity's sanctuary was the first church building constructed in the city of El Paso. The church built a second sanctuary here before moving to a new site in 1906. The present name, Trinity First United Methodist Church, resulted from a 1979 merger with the First Methodist Church. 1982