Marker Inscription
Most of Thurber's immigrant population, representing eighteen nationalities, were Catholic. Missionary priests ministered to the town until 1892, when the coal company erected a Catholic church at the bottom of graveyard hill. Originally named St. Thuribus, it was renamed St. Barbara's to honor the patroness saint of miners. A church school, Hunter Academy, operated from 1894 to 1923. The church building was moved two miles north to Mingus when Thurber was dismantled in the 1930s, and was returned to Thurber in 1993 by Thurber preservationists. (1995)
About this site
Saint Barbara's Catholic Church is a historical marker in Thurber, Erath County, dedicated in 1994. It is one of 71 historical markers documented in Erath County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 144 historic sites cataloged across the county.
The site sits at 32.5068, -98.4149 near Thurber. The nearest cataloged historic site is New York Hill (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Thurber Brick Plant, Site of, Thurber's First Coal Mine, Site of, and Whitehead Cemetery.
This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5143004438. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
