First Presbyterian Church (Greeneville, Tennessee)
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Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
The Presbyterian Church , or PC, is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. Part of the Reformed tradition, it is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the U.S...
located in downtown Greeneville, TN. It was the first church established in Greeneville and is one of the oldest churches in the State of Tennessee. First Presbyterian Church was first gathered in 1780 at the Big Spring in downtown Greeneville, with the first services preached by traveling frontier minister Samuel Doak
Samuel Doak
Samuel Doak was an American Presbyterian clergyman and educator, a pioneer in the movement for the abolition of slavery.He was born in Augusta County, Virginia, graduated from Princeton in 1775, studied theology, and was licensed to preach in 1777. He then migrated to the Holston valley, where he...
. In 1783, regular services began, and Rev. Hezekiah Balch was the first settled minister.
A log church was built near the present day Greeneville Town Hall and the church was renamed Harmony Church. In 1840, the name was changed to Greeneville Presbyterian Church. The present brick building was erected in 1847. During this time, the congregation was the only church between Knoxville and Washington College, an area of approximately 100 miles. In 1928, a fire destroyed the interior of the sanctuary; however, the brick walls were fortunately left intact. In 1940, the name was changed to First Presbyterian Church, as it exists today.
In 1923, a 3-story education wing was built. Christ Chapel was built and dedicated in 1999 under the direction of the church's current minister, the Rev. Dr. Daniel Donaldson. There is a 3-manual Schantz pipe organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
located in the sanctuary.
The church and its congregation were heavily involved in the abolitionist movement in East Tennessee
East Tennessee
East Tennessee is a name given to approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee, one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. East Tennessee consists of 33 counties, 30 located within the Eastern Time Zone and three counties in the Central Time Zone, namely...
. Rev. Hezekiah Balch freed his slaves at the Greene County Courthouse in 1807. Rev. Samuel Doak, the founder of Tusculum College
Tusculum College
Tusculum College is a coeducational private college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church , with its main campus in Tusculum, Tennessee, United States, a suburb of Greeneville...
, followed in 1818. Francis McCorkle, the pastor of Greeneville's Presbyterian Church, was a leading member of the Manumission Society of Tennessee.
First Presbyterian Church is the parent church of Tusculum College
Tusculum College
Tusculum College is a coeducational private college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church , with its main campus in Tusculum, Tennessee, United States, a suburb of Greeneville...
. It is listed as a historic place with the Tennessee Historical Commission
Tennessee Historical Commission
The Tennessee Historical Commission is a Tennessee state government agency, a division of the Department of Environment and Conservation, that has missions related to the state's history and historic preservation....
(marker 1C-59) and is also listed on the National Registry of Historic Places as part of the Greeneville Historic District.