CLARKSVILLE, TN – First Presbyterian Church will host an open house reception for the public on Friday, May 20, 3-6:30 p.m., to celebrate its bicentennial.
The church, the first of any denomination to be organized in Clarksville, was founded on May 25, 1822.
Lucinda Elder, wife of the first mayor of Clarksville, donated the land on which the church now sits to First Presbyterian Church in 1839 “to be all times forever hereafter and set apart for the worship of Almighty God by the denomination of Christians called Presbyterian.” Since 1840, “the decent and respectful worship of Almighty God” has taken place in the Presbyterian Church located at the corner of Main and Third.
The reception will take place in the Fellowship Hall, the room first occupied in January 1877 as “the Lecture Hall.” The historic tour will include the main audience room (sanctuary), which was completed and dedicated on May 26, 1878. Tour participants will have an opportunity to hear the massive organ (with gold leafed pipes and 1878 facade) and the church’s story, ask questions, visit the church’s history room to view the original minutes and artifacts from the 1820s, and visit the church library and chapel.
First Presbyterian Church was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in May 1976.
Tours are on a first-come basis, or by reservation at Eventbrite. Eventbrite RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bicentennial-reception-and-historical-downtown-church-tour-tickets-332217951837
Participants are also invited to remain in downtown Clarksville following the event for Downtown @ Sundown, 7-10 p.m., to enjoy the music of TN Pluckers and Music for Mercy in the Downtown Commons.