This project explores the historical role of the Presbyterian Church in Kingsville, Texas, with a particular focus on its outreach to the Mexican and Mexican-American populations, and its relationship with Presbyterian educational institutions, namely the Texas-Mexican Industrial Institute (Tex-Mex), the Presbyterian School for Mexican Girls (Pres-Mex), and the eventual creation of the Presbyterian Pan American School (Pan-Am). While previous scholarships have documented the philanthropic influence of Henrietta M. King and her efforts directed toward South Texas’s Mexican population, but little attention has been given to the First Presbyterian Church itself and its direct role in shaping and supporting the Presbyterian Pan American School.
While existing studies tend to focus on the educational institutions, or their founders, very little attention has been given to the First Presbyterian Church itself. This leaves a significant gap in understanding how the local Presbyterian congregation in Kingsville operated within the broader racial, cultural, and religious areas of South Texas. This research seeks to fill that gap by investigating the extent to which the Kingsville Presbyterian Church both fostered outreach and simultaneously preserved segregated religious practices. In doing so, this study will contribute to larger conversations on race, faith, and education in South Texas building upon the nonexistent historiography of the Kingsville First Presbyterian Church.

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Dean Ferguson

Department of History, Political Science and Philosophy