The Church was founded in 1824, the oldest organized church in Montgomery. This structure was dedicated in 1847, the same year that Montgomery became the State Capital. Church member Andrew Dexter gave the land for the Church, as well as “Goat Hill”, the ground on which the Capital Building was constructed. Church member John Figh, who also built the UofA and our Capitol, was the contractor. The building pictured served 1st Pres for 152 years, until, amid much controversy, the church relocated 10 miles to the East on Jan 1, 2000. Today the venerable old structure is used to house an outreach program of First Baptist Church, which bought the vacated sanctuary in 2002.
In 1917 First Pres was the 7th largest of all Southern Presbyterian Churches; in 1923 it had over 1600 members, and its Big Brothers Bible Class had over a thousand regular attendees.
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- “FIRST PRES” as it appeared some 100 years ago, when it only fronted Adams Ave. In 1860 it fell under the spell of its firebrand elder, William L Yancey, said to be the greatest orator ever produced by the South, and much of his passion for the South was expended within these walls. Lincoln said Yancey brought on the war, so some say this is where it all began.
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- 1974-Congregation in chapel. Courtesy of Alabama Department of Archives and History
-Charles Humphries