First Presbyterian Church of Taylor
Taylor, Williamson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The history of this church can be traced to 1876, when a Presbyterian congregation here was closely associated with the Presbyterian church in Georgetown. The Rev. John McMurray led both congregations, and the earliest written recognition of the Taylor church appears in 1878 denominational records. Trustees for the church purchased this property in March 1878, and a frame sanctuary was completed by Thanksgiving of that year. A school operated by the Rev. Mr. McMurray was located across the street. The Rev. James P. Lyle was called as the church's first full-time pastor in 1889. About a year later a home was built on the church property to house the pastor's family, but it was destroyed in a 1900 fire. Denominational records began to refer to this congregation as First Presbyterian Church of Taylor in 1895, following the establishment of a Cumberland Presbyterian church the previous year. The two congregations were merged about 1910 and retained the First Presbyterian Church name. The need for a larger facility soon arose, and a new brick sanctuary was built in 1912-1913.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This Presbyterian congregation traces its roots to 1876, when it was tied to the church in nearby Georgetown and shared a minister, the Rev. John McMurray, who also ran a school across the street. Trustees bought this property in 1878 and completed a frame sanctuary by Thanksgiving that year, and the church called its first full-time pastor in 1889. After merging with a Cumberland Presbyterian congregation around 1910, the growing church built a new brick sanctuary in 1912–1913.
Why it matters
Congregations like this anchored community life in Texas railroad towns, their pulpits, schools, and sanctuaries growing alongside the settlements they served.
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Related people
- · John McMurray
- · James P. Lyle
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
First Christian Church of Taylor
Taylor, TX
Founded in December 1877 by twenty-two members newly arrived from their "old home" states, this congregation grew quickly after Gen. R. M. Gano preached a week of daily services. Meeting first in an Odd Fellows hall and then a modest 1878 building, the church raised its present Gothic Revival sanctuary in 1891, designed by architect E. B. Mackin.
City of Taylor
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When the International & Great Northern Railroad crossed Williamson County in 1876, it spawned a town called Taylorsville, named for railroad executive Moses Taylor, with lots sold that June and a post office opened in August. Sitting on a cattle trail, the town quickly became a major shipping point for cattle, then grew further after a second rail line arrived in 1882 and the community incorporated. Renamed simply Taylor in 1892, it added cotton to cattle and rails as pillars of a prosperous local economy.
Bill Pickett
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St. James Church
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