First Presbyterian Church

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Submitted by Scott Fitzgerald - scottfitzgerald@tyler.net East Texas
Genealogical Society, President 14 October 2005

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Originally published in The Tracings, Volume 3, No. 2, Fall 1984, Pages 61-
62 by the Anderson County Genealogical Society, copyright assigned to the
East Texas Genealogical Society.

First Presbyterian Church 
410 Avenue A 
Palestine, Texas 75801

Organized- November 3, 1849

The First Presbyterian Church of Palestine was organized November 3, 1859,
by Reverend Daniel Baker and the Reverend J. N. Becton, home missionaries of
the Presbyterian Church, USA. There were eighteen charter members and the
first minister was the Reverend A. M. Becton.

The minister of the gospel to have preached at Fort Houston, (built in 1835
and located about two and a half miles southwest of the present courthouse)
was the Reverend Peter Hunter Fullinwider, a staunch Presbyterian
missionary, who, with his wife, emigrated from Connecticut in 1834. Coming
first to Austin's Colon on the Brazos, where they both taught school, and
the Reverend Fullinwider held religious services in the area homes, although
it was contrary to Mexican law. He and Sam Houston were friends, and
according to church history, General Houston sent him to Fort Houston before
the battle of San Jacinto to care for families there.

There is no record of a Presbyterian Church being established at Fort
Houston but there was a meeting of the Presbytery there in 1840 or 1841.

For the first few years the Presbyterian Church shared a place of worship
with other groups, but a steady growth in membership made it necessary to
build its own church. A small church was built on North Church Street, and
on March 7, 1887, the church was built on Avenue A, and construction of the
present sanctuary was started. The architects for the project were Dodson
and Dudley, and the builder was Joseph Frederick Wolff. Wolff, also, made
the bricks from clay excavated from a pit that later became Spring Lake
Park. His brick kiln was located on property near East Hill Cemetery, east
of Palestine. The corner stone of the sanctuary is dated July 12, 1888, and
lists the following as the building committee: S. M. Luckett, DDS, A. W.
Gregg, G. R. Cooke, J. N. Link, W. M. Lacy, P. A. Kolstad, J. B. McKnight,
Dr. J. H. Grant, and Dr. J. W. Douglas. The sactuary [sic] is of Gothic
design, and contains beautiful leaded stained glass and Tiffany memorial
windows. The lovely silver spire was added in 1890, G. T. Scott and C. S.
Maffitt, builder.

To the west and adjoined to the sanctuary, the Sunday School Auditorium and
pastor's study were added in 1900. When this was done the west transept of
the sanctuary was removed and vertical sliding doors were installed to
connect the two areas. Within a short time, the two story educational wing
was erected back of the sanctuary and pastor's study.

In April 1904, the organ was installed in the sanctuary. The Ladies Aid
Society had raised almost half the money needed for the organ and Mr. Andrew
Carnegie, a personal friend of the F. L. Noble family, donated a generous
sum toward its purchase. At first, the organ bellows were hand operated,
later a water porter was used, and finally electric power was installed.
This fine old organ has the original bellows, pipes and flutes.

Over the intervening years, there has been more additions and acquisitions
to this fine old church. It stands as one of the most beautiful landmarks of
Palestine.

On March 17, 1968, the First Presbyterian Church was dedicated as a
historical building and awarded an official Texas Historical Marker by the
Texas Historical Commission. It is the oldest church building in Palestine
continuously serving a congregation.

from the booklet: "A Brief History of First Presbyterian Church": November,
1983.

submitted by: Lois F. Graham