Original Site of First Presbyterian Church

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about this spot in Travis County. Now settle in, because this is one of those stories where the ground itself has got a long memory. On May 26, 1850, the Reverend William M.

Baker and five charter members organized the First Presbyterian Church of Austin. Five people and a reverend. That's a lean congregation to build a future on, but they had something going for them.

One of those five charter members was a man named Abner H. Cook. And the members didn't just elect him to a pew.

They elected him a ruling elder. Cook, who would go on to be the future designer of the Governor's Mansion, was right there at the founding, and he put his money where his faith was. He donated two lots at this very site to the church.

In 1851, the members raised a wood frame building on those lots. Modest, but standing. They enlarged the structure in 1855, which tells you the congregation was growing, finding its footing, putting down roots in young Austin.

Then comes 1874. The members look at what they have and agree, it is time for something in stone. So they build the first floor.

And then they wait. They meet in that unfinished stone shell, year after year, until the funding comes together. It takes until 1890 to complete the edifice.

Now that is patience. That is faith in the long form. With the later addition of an annex and a tower, that building served the congregation well, right up until 1960, when they packed up and moved to a site in north central Austin.

And they weren't finished moving. In 1978, the congregation relocated again, this time to northwest Austin. From five charter members on a donated lot, to a wood frame, to a stone building decades in the finishing, to a tower, to two more moves across a growing city.

Some stories end. This one just keeps finding new ground.

What the marker says

The Rev. William M. Baker and five charter members organized the First Presbyterian Church of Austin on May 26, 1850. Abner H. Cook, future designer of the Governor's Mansion, was among the charter members and was elected a ruling elder. In 1851, members erected a wood frame building on two lots at this site, which Cook donated to the church. The members enlarged the structure in 1855, and in 1874 agreed to construct a stone building. They built the first floor and met there until funding was available to complete the edifice in 1890. With the later addition of an annex and tower, it served until 1960, when the congregation moved to a site in north central Austin. They relocated to northwest Austin in 1978. (2000)