First Presbyterian Church of Prosper
Prosper, Collin County, Texas
Marker Inscription
THE McADEW CONGREGATION OF CUMBERLAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH WAS ORGANIZED ON JULY 7, 1878 BY A GROUP OF 26 MEMBERS LED BY REVEREND R.H. HACKER. THE CONGREGATION FIRST ASSEMBLED IN THE PLEASANT VALLEY SCHOOL HOUSE. THE SCHOOL SERVED AS THE MEETING PLACE FOR THE NEXT 14 YEARS. IN 1892, THE JAMES BARNES BELL FAMILY DONATED LAND WHERE A ONE-ROOM, WHITE FRAME CHURCH WAS CONSTRUCTED IN THE ROCK HILL COMMUNITY. THE CHURCH BUILDING WAS MOVED IN 1896 AND THE NAME WAS CHANGED TO ROCK HILL CUMBERLAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. THE CHURCH MOVED TO PROSPER IN 1902 ON LAND DONATED BY MR. AND MRS. J.L. BAKER. THE NEXT YEAR, AS REQUESTED, THE NAME OF THE CHURCH CHANGED TO PROSPER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. SEVERAL ADDITIONS HAVE BEEN MADE OVER THE YEARS, INCLUDING THE SOUTH AND NORTH WINGS AND A PASTOR’S STUDY. OTHER MINOR REPAIRS HAVE ALSO BEEN COMPLETED. IN ADDITION TO SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE IN THE COMMUNITY, THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF PROSPER HAS ALSO FULFILLED A CHARITABLE ROLE WITH THE PROSPER PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION, WEEKLY REVIVALS, FUNERALS, SENIOR CITIZENS GAME DAY AND TRANSPORTATION ASSISTANCE. THE CHURCH AND CONGREGATION ALSO REACHED OUT TO DISASTER VICTIMS IN OTHER STATES AND FURNISHED SUPPLIES TO THE SALVATION ARMY. STAINED GLASS “PEACE PANELS” HAVE BEEN SENT AS MESSAGES OF HOPE TO LOCATIONS AROUND THE WORLD INCLUDING SARAJEVO, SOUTH AFRICA AND JERUSALEM. FOR WELL OVER A CENTURY, THE CONGREGATION OF THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF PROSPER HAS SERVED THE COMMUNITY, STATE AND COUNTRY THROUGH OUTREACH AND SERVICE.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Organized in 1878 by 26 members under Rev. R.H. Hacker, this Cumberland Presbyterian congregation first met in the Pleasant Valley schoolhouse before building a one-room frame church in the Rock Hill community in 1892. When the railroad drew settlement to Prosper, the church moved there in 1902 and took the town's name a year later. Over more than a century it has added wings, supported a women's association, and sent stained-glass 'peace panels' to places as far away as Sarajevo and Jerusalem.
Why it matters
It traces how a frontier congregation followed the shifting fortunes of the railroad and grew into a lasting pillar of community life.
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Related people
- · R.H. Hacker
Themes & tags
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