Most folks today know of Mo-Ranch and perhaps even a bit of its story. It’s a lovely Presbyterian conference and retreat center on the banks of the North Fork of the Guadalupe River not far from Kerrville, Texas. It was purchased by the Synod of Texas in 1949.
However, there was a Presbyterian conference and retreat center owned by the Synod of Texas before there was ever a Mo-Ranch. According to William Stuart Red, in 1905 a group of San Antonio pastors saw a need for a “place to which their people might resort for wholesome recreation and, at the same time, to enjoy instruction in religious subjects” (A History of the Presbyterian Church in Texas, p. 338). While initially the thought was that such a place was in Files Valley in Hill County, that plan never panned out.
However, one of the San Antonio pastors, Rev. Hugh William Hoon was persistent and led a committee from Western Texas Presbytery that accepted an offer of $2,500 and 41 1/2 acres of land near Kerrville from Captain Charles Schreiner for the establishment of a school and a campground. It bordered the Guadalupe River. Hoon, pastor of Utica Presbyterian Church (later Beacon Hill PC) from 1904-1909, also became the manager of what was known as Westminster Encampment for the first four years of its existence.
Although the first few years were difficult, financially, in 1914 ownership was transferred to the Synod of Texas. This broadened the field of participation and helped solidify the camps’s financial base. The “Presbyterian School and Encampment” was chartered in 1908. Schreiner Institute, however, did not open its doors until September of 1923. Early on, a dining hall was built and tents were rented to accommodate 250 guests. Cottages were built for families. The women of Kerrville installed electric lights in 1913. In 1915 an auditorium was constructed. By 1935 over 100 buildings and cottages covered the grounds.
Much like Mo-Ranch today, youth conferences, family conferences, Men’s conferences, Women’s conferences leadership training conferences, and Bible conferences were among the offerings held at the Westminster Encampment. Synod meetings were also held there. According to one source, “the encampment provided the town of Kerrville with its first lending library” (Rebecca Herring, “Westminster Encampment” in the Texas State Historical Association).
In 1949 the Synod of Texas purchased Mo-Ranch from the estate of Dan Moran, an executive of the Continental Oil Company and a resident of Houston. Westminster Encampment closed in October of the following year. The Ministerial Directory of PCUS ministers mentions that Rev. Hugh Hoon was the “moving spirit” behind the establishment of Westminster Encampment. A native of Mercer Pennsylvania, Hoon was ordained in 1897 by Mecklenburg Presbytery in North Carolina where he spent most of his early ministry. Coming to Texas in 1904 to serve the church in San Antonio, Hoon later served Texas churches in Stamford (1909-10) and Taylor (1913-16). He died on March 4, 1916.
Hoon and others with him made history in their day. Their work surely laid the foundation for those who came later who purchased Mo-Ranch who saw the importance of a Presbyterian conference and retreat center. We certainly are the beneficiaries of their work. There are some today who have direct experience with both Westminster Encampment and Mo-Ranch. The story of Westminster Encampment makes more complete our understanding of the story of Mo-Ranch.
We give thanks to God for those who not only had a vision of such a center, but who also gave generously of time, labor, and finances to make it happen.
The Presbyterian Historical Society of the Southwest exists to “stimulate and encourage interest in the collection, preservation, and presentation of the Presbyterian and Reformed heritage” in the Southwest. If you are not a participating member of the Society and would like to become one, the annual dues are $20 per individual and $25 per couple. Annual institutional and church membership dues are $100. Checks may be made out to PHSSW and sent to:
PHSSW – 5525 Traviston Ct., Austin, TX 78738.
