First Presbyterian Church of McKinney
McKinney, Collin County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This fellowship was the first congregation in Collin county affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in the United States, a denomination established during the Civil War. Chartered with eighteen members, it was organized by the Rev. W.K. Marshall on September 27, 1874, at the home of Dr. E.N. McAuley, a prominent McKinney physician. James P. Nenney and W.A. Gossett served as the first deacons. The initial church building for the congregation was completed by 1876. A small frame structure with a steep roof and tall, narrow windows, it was located on the corner of Tennessee and Hunt Streets. An ornate tower housed the church bell, cast especially for the fellowship, which was donated by Z.P. Ranney and is still in use. Due to increased membership, services were held in the county courthouse prior to the completion of a larger church building on North Kentucky Street in 1899. Constructed of brick, the sanctuary served the congregation until 1966 when a new edifice was completed at this location during the pastorate of the Rev. Sam P. Riccobene. The chapel includes stained glass windows and interior furnishings from the 1899 sanctuary. (1980)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Organized in 1874 at the home of local physician Dr. E.N. McAuley, this was the first congregation in Collin County tied to the Presbyterian Church in the United States, a Southern denomination born during the Civil War. From eighteen charter members it grew steadily, outgrowing a modest frame chapel and a brick sanctuary before settling into its present home in 1966, still ringing a bell cast for the fellowship in its earliest years.
Why it matters
The congregation's story mirrors the growth of McKinney itself, and its denominational roots reflect how the divisions of the Civil War reshaped American religious life for generations.
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Related people
- · W.K. Marshall
- · E.N. McAuley
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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