HistoricSiteMarkers
Early Republic

Site of the Old Adobe

San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

Marker Inscription

1846-1868 Site of the Old Adobe First Presbyterian Church in San Antonio. Built by Rev. John McCullough (1805-1870). Used by all Protestant faiths. Plastered rock construction (1965)

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

From 1846 to 1868 a plastered-rock building on this site served as the first Presbyterian church in San Antonio, raised by the Reverend John McCullough. In a frontier town short on houses of worship, the modest "Old Adobe" was shared by Protestants of every faith. Its simple construction reflects the improvised beginnings of organized religion in a city only just becoming American.

Why it matters

The shared frontier chapel captures how early Texas congregations of every denomination made do together before they could each build their own.

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  • · John McCullough

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