things of our past
1950s
When the Powell's purchased the current Tejas property, it had an old log cabin on the front field that looked over the natural lake currently behind the motel rooms. In the 1950s the cabin burned down and the Powells built another home which remains as part of the current dining hall. They built a swimming pool in the back yard.
1960s
Bill and Bonnie Powell continued adding other facilities to accommodate family, friends, and business associates of Powell Electric Company in Houston. The property became known as the Pal Meadow Ranch in the 1960s and by the 1970s, the Powells began using the ranch as a horsemanship camp for children.
A few years later, the name of the ranch was changed to Camp Tejas, and the facility was then made available to other organizations. Tejas is a native-american word meaning "friend".
1970s
During the late 1970s, Westbury Baptist Church in Houston developed an interest in Christian camping. In the fall of 1979, Billie Bryson, now Billie Holman, donated seed money for Westbury's future Christian camping ministry. She donated the money in memory of her late husband, Hoy Bryson, Sr., and her mother, Mary Geist. As a result of the donation, a committee was formed at Westbury to begin searching for "a special place in the country."
1980s
Because of unforeseen circumstances (orchestrated by the hand of God) the Westbury youth could not attend a certain youth camp in the summer of 1980. Therefore, at the last minute, they were able to book a week at Camp Tejas. During that week of camp, it was learned that Tejas was for sale. Under the leadership of Milton Cunningham, the pastor at Westbury at the time, plans were launched to purchase the property. Because of the incredible generosity of Bill and Bonnie Powell, and many of the members of Westbury, the camp was purchased in December 1980. Westbury Foundation was incorporated in 1981 and Camp Tejas became a part of the Foundation.
Billy Jones, who was also greatly involved with the search and purchase of Tejas, was selected to be the Executive Director of the camp in February 1981. His wife, Janice Jones, became the Assistant Director.
The camp began to grow from almost 2,000 guests in 1981 to over 5,000 in 1989. The Cox House was constructed, the dining hall and kitchen were expanded, and many of the private rooms were remodeled.
1990s
The growth continued in the 1990s with more guests (over 6,000 in 1999), more staff, more construction, and more ministry opportunities.
Conference room C was constructed, the outdoor gym was erected, the first climbing wall and low ropes course was added, and the bunk houses were remodeled.
2000 to Present
The Lord has continued to bless as more guests enjoy the restfulness of Tejas. The provisions have been awesome. The original Marmax Auditorium was built in 2000 and expanded in 2007, the Tejas Inn and new climbing wall were created in 2002, the new pool facility was built in 2005, the Meadows Retreat Center was completed in 2008, and several staff houses have been added and/or remodeled. Just over 15,000 guests visited the camp in 2008 and 2009.
The ministry opportunities of Camp Tejas in the summer have greatly expanded since 1981. The summer staff has changed from being solely a work crew of about eight students to a ministry team of over 80 students from all over the state, country, and world.
David Jones, the oldest son of Billy and Janice Jones, took over as CEO in 2007. Billy and Janice are semi-retired helping out at the camp on a part-time basis.