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Westminster United Presbyterian Church

Paducah, McCracken County, Kentucky

Marker Inscription

Westminster United Presbyterian Church. Incorporated March 3, 1851, by an act of Kentucky General Assembly as Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Merged with Presbyterian Church USA, 1906, and became Kentucky Avenue Presbyterian Church. In 1951 the congregation moved to the modified Gothic structure here and changed name to Westminster Presbyterian Church.

Erected by Kentucky Historical Society

The Story

This congregation traces its roots to March 1851, when it was incorporated by an act of the Kentucky General Assembly as a Cumberland Presbyterian Church. After the Cumberland body merged with the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. in 1906, it became Kentucky Avenue Presbyterian Church. In 1951 the congregation moved to a modified Gothic building at this location and adopted the Westminster name.

Why it matters

The church's century of mergers and moves reflects the shifting story of American Presbyterianism and the enduring role of congregations in community life.

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