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Madison Square Presbyterian Church

San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

Marker Inscription

On Dec. 1, 1881, the Rev. William Buchanan came to San Antonio as a missionary of the Presbyterian Church of the United States. With support from the military community and other persons of northern background, he began to hold services, at first in a fire station, and later in a downtown lodge hall. On Feb. 18, 1882, he acquired the present site, then in an outlying district known as "Upper San Antonio." On the next day, Feb. 19, he organized the Madison Square Presbyterian Church. Members of the Brackenridge, Buchanan, Hill, Irvine, Konkle, McLane, Raymond, and Vanderlip families signed the charter petition. In the following month, the congregation began meeting here, on its own site, in a temporary chapel. This Gothic Revival edifice of rusticated stone was completed in 1883. Severely damaged in an 1886 windstorm, it was rebuilt by 1895. In later years, the interior has been extensively remodeled, and an educational building has been added. Members of the demised Grace Cumberland Church joined this congregation in 1906. The Madison Square Church has been active in local mission work, and in 1942 helped bring Trinity University to San Antonio. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1977

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Presbyterian missionary William Buchanan arrived in San Antonio in 1881 and, drawing on the city's military and northern-born community, organized Madison Square Presbyterian Church in early 1882 in what was then the outlying "Upper San Antonio." A rusticated Gothic Revival stone church rose in 1883, was wrecked by an 1886 windstorm, and was rebuilt by 1895. In 1942 the congregation helped bring Trinity University to San Antonio.

Why it matters

The church reflects San Antonio's post-war growth beyond its old core and the role congregations played in founding the city's enduring universities.

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