First Presbyterian Church
Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky
Marker Inscription
First Presbyterian Church. Organized, 1815, Presbyterians built first denominational church in city, 1824, on north side of Wapping, near St. Clair. This was outgrowth of Sunday School, begun in 1810 by Margaretta Brown. In 1849, the present modified Gothic church was built under guidance of the Rev. Stuart Robinson. During Civil War church remained united because of strong Union sympathies.
Erected by Kentucky Historical Society
The Story
Frankfort's Presbyterians organized in 1815 and built the city's first denominational church in 1824, an outgrowth of a Sunday School that Margaretta Brown had begun in 1810. The present modified Gothic building went up in 1849 under the Rev. Stuart Robinson, and the congregation's strong Union sympathies kept it intact through the divisions of the Civil War.
Why it matters
The church traces the arrival of organized Presbyterianism in Kentucky and the leading role women like Margaretta Brown played in early religious education.
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Related people
- Β· Margaretta Brown
- Β· Stuart Robinson
Themes & tags
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