First Presbyterian Church, Greenville
Greenville, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky
Marker Inscription
First Presbyterian Church. Church established 1804 on land given by early Presbyterians Col. and Mrs. William Campbell. Rev. Thomas Nelson was first resident pastor. Early visiting ministers included Rev. Terah Templin and Rev. David Rice. Early elders included Claiborne Rice, Hugh Martin and John Bone. Rev. Isaac Bard became pastor in 1823; first church built 1825 on Martin St. (Reverse) This Gothic-Revival structure was initiated in 1873 by building committee members Lewis Reno, M.C. Hay, John Barkley Sr., T.J. Slayton and W.H. Yost. Church dedicated on July 19, 1885, on South Main St. Rev. Robert G. Brank, grandson of church founder Col. Campbell, performed the dedication. Bricks made by John Barkley on his farm.
Erected by Kentucky Historical Society
The Story
Presbyterians organized this Muhlenberg County congregation in 1804 on land given by Colonel William Campbell and his wife, in the early years when Kentucky was still a frontier being settled by pioneer families. Circuit-riding ministers such as Terah Templin and David Rice served the young church before it built its first sanctuary on Martin Street in 1825. The handsome Gothic-Revival building on South Main Street, its bricks made on a local farm, was begun in 1873 and dedicated in 1885 by the church founder's own grandson.
Why it matters
Congregations like this anchored community life on the Kentucky frontier and traced the arc of a town's growth, from log-cabin worship to the ambitious brick architecture of the Gilded Age.
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Related people
- · Col. William Campbell
- · Rev. Isaac Bard
- · Rev. Robert G. Brank
Themes & tags
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