Save St. Barbara’s Church in Thurber: Help Preserve History

Please help save St. Barbara’s Church!

At 132 years old, St. Barbara's has seen better days. During a 2022 spring storm, the building suffered serious damage due to straight line winds which knocked the belfry off of its base. While this is the most visible damage, the church desperately needs repairs to its wooden siding, foundation, roof, windows and a new coat of paint.

Recently, a concerned group of locals from Strawn, Mingus, Gordon and Stephenville, came together to save St. Barb and return her to her former glory. We are committed to seeing this project through to completion and are busy reaching out to neighbors, corporations, former residents of the area and applying for grants. Most of these grants are a 50/50 match so for every dollar we raise, the grants will match. THIS IS WHERE WE NEED YOUR HELP!

The overall cost to refurbish St. Barb is approximately $100,000 so our goal is to raise $60,000 in private funds in the next several months.

Help us save St. Barb!

Help us save Texas history!

Help us save this beautiful, historic building so it will continue serving the community for a variety of events and be enjoyed for generations to come!

Our plea is URGENT!

We ask you to please donate and share this with your family, friends, church friends and history buffs across the country.

About the Thurber Historical Association

The Thurber Historical Association was re-established in 2018 to preserve the history pertaining to the economic, political, and social history of Thurber and its remaining historical structures and landmarks.

The purpose of the Thurber Historical Association is to preserve the history and historical structures and landmarks that remain of Thurber. We hope you can join our efforts to save this beautiful, historic structure.

Thurber Historical Association is a registered 501(c)(3) and donations are tax deductible.

History of Property/Project

St. Barbara's Church is the most significant, historical structure remaining of all of Thurber's buildings.

Most of the miners who worked in Thurber were Catholics from Eastern Europe. Therefore, St. Barbara’s Catholic Church was among the most important buildings in town. The church building was constructed in 1892 by the Texas & Pacific Coal Company, who owned the entire city. It was originally named “St. Thuribus.” This name was probably selected because it resembled the name of the town. The name was soon renamed in honor of St. Barbara, a 2nd-century martyr who became known as the patron saint of miners.

In the 1930s, the coal mines closed and many Thurber citizens left town. With this decline in membership, St. Barbara’s was moved to nearby Mingus in 1937. Church services continued to be held here until 1970. In 1993, the church was moved back to Thurber and restored.

Since 1993, it has hosted many events including weddings, Christmas and Easter services, and Catholic Mass. For many years, the Gordon Methodist Church held its annual Christmas Cantata at St. Barbara’s.

It is our goal that by Christmas 2025, St. Barbara's will be refurbished and once again be a symbol of hope, peace, resilience and beauty!

For questions or inquiries, please contact us at: Thurber Historical Association

PO Box 192, Gordon, TX 76453