Mentone Community Church 1 - a photo on Flickriver

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[This is a series of 7 images] Mentone, Texas is in Loving County, the 2nd least populated county in the United States (2017 estimate of 134); the least populated is Kalawao County, Hawaii (which has a population of 88). Mentone's population was 19 in the 2010 census. Loving County was named for Oliver Loving, who with Charles Goodnight established the Goodnight-Loving Trail for cattle driving the livestock. Loving descends from Gabriel Loving (circa 1725-1790) of Powhatan County, Virginia. It's thought he is connected to the Loving family of Nelson County, Virginia (my ancestors). Mentone was named by a French surveyor after his French Riviera home of Menton--quite a contrast from arid desert terrain and lush Mediterranean coastal vegetation. When I was in Mentone, Texas in May 2018, an oil boom was in progress, one expected to last some time. Supposedly as many of 10,000 workers come daily to this sparsely populated area to work in the oil fields, creating traffic jams in this town of 19 people, with trucks and vans backed up as much as 2 miles. The entire area is flat desert with a few low-lying hills, the region supporting cacti, range grass and desert growth.

The small shingled church (and once former school) is rectangular in shape and consists of a pedimented front gable to which is attached a pedimented entry with a plain wooden door with 5 recessed panels. The door is approached by stone steps and metal railings on either side of the steps. The roof is topped with a small open belfry of wood with a small pyramidal roof. On each side facades of the structure are four plain windows; the right side (as one faces the entrance) also has an entrance nearly at the end of that facade. The church yard is nearly bare of any growth aside from two small trees and is enclosed with a relatively new fence of wooden slats. A plaque to the left of the front entrance provides historical information and the designation of the building as a Texas Historical Landmark (1965). The text of the marker is as follows: "Built 1910 in Porterville, a town abandoned after Pecos River flood of 1930. Moved here for school and social center. Also used by various church groups and for non-denominational worship. Oldest building in Loving County." I was told the church/community center is very seldom in use except for the rare wedding and that very seldom are there any services.

Some links about Mentone and Loving County are listed below:

www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Oil-boom-hits-remo...

lost-texas.com/2014/03/29/mentone/

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loving_County,_Texas

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mentone,_Texas

The images are as follows:
1) front and side facade
2) front facade showing pedimented entry, gable, and belfry
3) belfry
4) entrance
5) view of church with fence and with foliage from a tree
6) view of church with fence and foliage from two trees
7) Texas Historic Landmark plaque

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Taken in: United States / Texas / Mentone (show map)

Taken on: May 19, 2018

Tags:

architecture

structure

church

house of worship

community center

shingle

roof

school

pediment

gable

entry

wooden

door

recessed panel

stone

steps

railing

belfry

pyramidal

facade

windows

yard

bare

desert

flat

vegetation

tree

fence

slats

historical

landmark

Porterville

Pecos River

flood

French

surveyor

arid

lush

Mediterranean

Gabriel Loving

Powhatan County, Virginia

Nelson County, Virginia

genealogy

oil boom

West

Southwest

Permian Basin

Mentone

Loving County

Texas « less

Sets appears in: • 2200-2399 Views • Mentone Community Church more » • Texas « less

Groups appears in: • Churches - Please read the rules before posting • Texas Roads more » • A Country Called Texas • TEXAS ON MY MIND • The Southwest United States • Rural America - (Opted out of 30/60) • Views: 2000 • West Texas • Churches of America • TexasFlickr(ers) NO PEOPLE SHOTS>>>JUST TEXAS • Holy Places • That Old Time Religion (Small Churches USA) • Texas: Off The Beaten Path • EDIFÍCIOS RELIGIOSOS ! • Great Texas Architecture • 2,000 Views Unlimited 2000 • Silent Churches « less

Camera: Canon PowerShot SX120 IS, f/4.5, 1/1250 sec, 6mm, ISO 80 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon PowerShot SX120 IS
Aperture:	f/4.5
Exposure Time:	0.001 sec (1/1250)
Focal Length:	6mm
ISO:	80
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	PhotoScape
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