The town of Hugo came into being in 1902 as a railroad crossroads. A contest was held to name the town. A lady whose favorite author was Victor Hugo suggested the name "Hugo" in honor of the author and the name was selected. Today the old railroad station with its Harvey House restaurant has been refurbished and serves as the town museum.

In 1902 the Rev. R.P. Walker was sent to Hugo by the Home Mission Board of the Presbyterian Church with $600 to build a church. Some 20 years later he wrote this account of Hugo in 1902 in a church publication:

"Almost twenty years ago Dr. Morris sent the writer out from South Carolina to Hugo, Oklahoma., as a Frontier missionary. Hugo was one of the government town sites in what was then Indian Territory, and had begun about a year before when A.& C. crossed the Frisco at this place. Hugo, as we saw it that morning, was composed of tents and "shacks," small boxed rooms built to hold lots. The stores were cheap board structures, and there was neither church building nor school houses in the town. We visited around and found five Presbyterians. Two of these were a young elder named Peters and his good wife. They opened their hearts and home to us and were the chief supporters of the organization. The Presbyterians owned two lots with two 'shacks' thereon. In one of these we spent our first year in Hugo. Mrs. Walker was not burdened with an extensive house. [ed. note: Presbyterians use the term "manse" for the parsonage or the minister's home.]

"This manse was composed of one room 14x14 feet, and a shed-room half the size. It was not encumbered with non-essentials as ceiling, paper and paint. So it has been truthfully said: 'The sun could smite us by day and the moon by night.' The "meeting house" for all denominations was a rough board room 40 x 60 feet, and there I preached for two years. Often Peters and I were the only Presbyterians present. In this house we organized a Sabbath School several months later, ordained and installed officers, baptized infants, and received enough members to build a church.

"During the first year in Hugo we were so fortunate as to find two sources of income other than our little congregation. One was the "city school." The town was not incorporated, but the people wanted a school. So I rented the "meeting house," employed two lady teachers, and opened with something over a hundred scholars. In the spring about the time the school closed, another business began to flourish for me, the only resident pastor. I have never seen such a matrimonial epidemic as struck Hugo that spring and summer. How did they come for me to 'say the ceremony' - morning, noon, and night! At the house, on the street, in the stores, and one couple had me go down to the Red River and marry them on the 'flat' as they crossed over, because they had a Texas license.

"It would be hard to find a more unpromising prospect than Hugo was twenty years ago, but great has been the change in these years! Today Hugo has a population of 10,000 people, with splendid brick business houses, flourishing banks, fine hotels, a public school building that cost $20,000, an electric plant, a number of manufacturing industries, concrete sidewalks, a through water system, and four handsome churches. The Presbyterians built the first church in town."

Mrs. Peters and her husband,to whom Rev. Walker referred to above, were founding members of the First Presbyterian Church in Hugo. Many years later she wrote a letter to a member of her family telling of her experiences. Shortly before the church's Centennial celebration a family member presented the letter to the church. The original was sent to the Oklahoma State Archives to be sealed in acid proof lamination and placed in the church's safety deposit box at the bank.

Mrs. Peters wrote:

History of the Hugo, Oklahoma. Presbyterian Church from 1902 -- to 1905, by Helen Peters.

On October 5, 1902, in a small house known as the "Courthouse," the Presbyterian Church was organized by Rev. W. E. McIllwain of the Indian Presbytery, and Rev. E. Brantley of Antlers, with the following members.

Mr. & Mrs. Bailey Springs, Mr. and Mrs. L. K. Peters, Mr. & Mrs. D. H. Trout, Les Wiley and O. L. Donaldson.

L. K. Peters was ordained elder in that first service, serving with Rev. Silas Bacon and Bailey Springs as acting elders.

Rev. Brantley served as pastor for several months or until Rev. R. P. Walker was sent by Dr. Morris who became our first pastor. His report in the book, "Romance of Missions" gives a full account of his pastorship. [ed. note: she refers to the above article] He and his wife lived with us until he found a manse, see picture in book. Mr. Dudley's history takes up from there. It seems quite authentic.

But there are some incidents which was [sic] really the first step in the organization of the church. Most of them were humorous that I would like to quote a few.

On or about Oct. 1st 1902 Rev. McIllwain came to our house. After introducing himself he told of his mission. He had been sent to organize a church in Hugo. He had learned that we were Presbyterian through Silas Bacon and he wanted our cooperation. He stayed in our home the following week. At his suggestion, he and I started out to find other Presbyterians by making a house to house, I should say tent to tent, canvas.

We stopped at every door introducing ourselves and explaining our mission. At the first tent door we were met by a young woman. After introducing Rev. McIllwain I introduced myself. "Oh," she said. "you must be the wife of Mr. Peters who works for Joel Springs." I answered in the affirmative, then told her my husband and I were Presbyterians and were anxious to get a church here. She gasped, "Oh Mr. Peters is such a handsome young man -- he doesn't look like a Presbyterian!" She gave me a frown. "Well," said Mr. McIllwain after we left, "how does a Presbyterian look -- do you know?" I did not, and to this day I do not know.

At our next stop, the woman said as we introduced ourselves, "Oh, I'm a Methodist, everyone's a Methodist in Texas -- anyway I don't like the looks (again the looks) of Presbyterians. All I ever saw looked like they had a poker down their spines---" We left her for the (good looking) Methodist.

A our last stop before noon the woman met us with a fork in her hand, "I ain't got no time fer (sic) agents. I'm cooking for my men folks" -- (she's a Methodist I thought) "and besides I ain't foolin (sic) with strangers--" As she said that I heard a ferocious barking dog coming towards us. "That's right, Jack." she told the dog, "tell them to get moving" -- we moved.

At the dinner table Mr. Peters laughed at our experiences, "Oh well," he said, "you found out a lot about Presbyterians." Then he gave us directions to the other parts of town. Though the first days work was discouraging at the end of the week we had met many nice, fine people who were promising prospects for church members. So on October 5, 1902 the Hugo church became a reality.

The beautiful edifice you have today stands as a monument to a great achievement and a monument to a fine people.

Sincerely,

(Mrs. L. K.) Helen Peters