DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker says about the First Presbyterian Church of Austin — and friend, this one goes back to the very roots of the city itself. Now, every church has a beginning, and this one starts with a visit. The year was 1848, and a man named Reverend Daniel Baker came through Austin.
He looked around at this young, scrappy capital city and decided something was missing. He recommended — formally recommended — that a Presbyterian congregation be organized right here. Daniel Baker planted the idea, but it would take someone else to bring it to life.
That someone was his own son, William M. Baker, newly ordained to the Presbyterian ministry. William arrived in May of 1850, and he got to work.
He organized the First Presbyterian Church of Austin — five charter members to start. Five. You might think that's a humble beginning, and maybe it was, but look who was sitting in those pews.
Among those five charter members was a man named Abner Cook. Master builder. The same Abner Cook who would later build the Texas Governor's Mansion.
That is not a small thing to have in your founding membership. Cook didn't just lend his name to the cause either. He donated the land in downtown Austin where the congregation built its first sanctuary, and that sanctuary was completed in 1851.
One year after William Baker organized those first five souls. Then, in 1890, that original structure gave way to a stone building — a proper, permanent kind of permanence. For decades, the congregation kept worshippin' at that downtown site.
All the way to 1960, when they relocated to Jackson Street in north central Austin. And then again in 1978, they moved once more — this time to this very site. But here's the thing about a congregation that's been around that long: you don't just leave your history behind.
When they built the new facility, they brought those historic stained glass windows with them. And the original cornerstone from that 1890 stone sanctuary — they worked it right into the design of the new building. Carried it forward, stone by stone.
From five charter members in 1850 to a full congregation with worship, educational, and outreach programs — the First Presbyterian Church of Austin has been part of this city nearly as long as there's been a city to be part of. Some roots run that deep.
What the marker says
This congregation traces its history to the early years of Austin and the missionary activities of the Rev. Daniel Baker. After a visit to Austin in 1848, Daniel Baker recommended the organization of a Presbyterian congregation in the city. His son William M. Baker, newly ordained to the Presbyterian ministry, arrived here in May 1850 and organized the First Presbyterian Church. Among the five charter members was master builder Abner Cook, who later built the Texas Governor's Mansion. The first sanctuary, built in downtown Austin on land donated by Cook, was completed in 1851. It was replaced by a stone structure in 1890. The congregation continued to worship at the downtown site until 1960, when they relocated to Jackson Street in north central Austin. The church moved to new facilities at this site in 1978. Historic stained glass windows and the original cornerstone from the 1890 stone sanctuary were incorporated into the design of the new building. The First Presbyterian Church of Austin continues to serve its members and the community with a variety of worship educational and outreach programs. (1990)