Erected in 1870, the oldest existing New Mexico Protestant Church building stands on Socorro Street in Las Vegas, New Mexico. It was New Mexico Territory’s original Presbyterian Church. The Rev. John Annin and his associate José Ynés Perea–later Rev. José Ynés Perea—built it.
While Perea supervised the construction of the church and the adjoining school building, Annin ran the school. The school continued in Las Vegas until February 1896 when it was moved to Albuquerque and became Menaul School.
The bell in the church steeple still rings on Sunday mornings, and on great occasions such as the centennial celebration of 1970. Cast in Troy, New York, the bell weighs 831 pounds and was hauled the last 250 miles to Las Vegas by wagon because the Atchinson, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad had only reached Grenada, Colorado by then.
When the railroad finally arrived in Las Vegas on July 4th, 1879, a new town grew up around the rail line. The current First United Presbyterian Church building was erected in 1880 in the new town district to attract newcomers. Annin & Perea’s original church remained virtually abandoned until a Spanish Presbyterian church was organized in 1884. In 1960, the two churches, along with the Presbyterian church in Trementina, united to become the First United Presbyterian Church, headquartered at 1000 Douglas Avenue.
