First United Presbyterian Church of Athens
Athens, Henderson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The Rev. Robert H. Hodge (1805-1866), a native of Tennessee, immigrated in 1850 to Anderson County, Texas. After two years he came to Henderson County. He began Science Hill Academy (15 mi. S), the only classical high school in the area during that time. The Rev. Hodge organized "The Cumberland Presbyterian Church" in 1855 with nine charter members. He selected Athens for its central location in the county. The fellowship met first in the log courthouse on the south side of the square. The Masonic Lodge, 319 South Palestine, served as a meeting place. The Baptist Church, 301 S. Prairieville, was also used for worship. The first structure owned by the congregation was at 305 E. Corsicana. John M. McDonald in 1881 donated the church house. The first church bell was given by the merchants of New Orleans, Louisiana; and St. Louis, Missouri. Merchants donated the first organ. In 1907 the congregation united with the northern church and the name changed to "The First Presbyterian Church". The present structure was completed in 1910 and in 1948 the educational facility was dedicated. The Pilcher pipe organ and chimes and the carillon were memorial gifts. After another merger in 1958, the name become "First United Presbyterian Church". (1979)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Frontier East Texas had few schools and fewer churches when Tennessee-born minister Robert H. Hodge arrived in the 1850s. He founded a rare classical academy and in 1855 organized a Cumberland Presbyterian congregation at Athens, which worshipped for years in borrowed courthouse, Masonic, and Baptist quarters before building its own home. Through a series of mergers the fellowship grew into the First United Presbyterian Church, completing its present sanctuary in 1910.
Why it matters
The congregation's long evolution mirrors how frontier Protestant churches anchored education and community life in nineteenth-century Texas towns.
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Related people
- · Robert H. Hodge
- · John M. McDonald
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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