First Presbyterian Church

Presbyterianism in Texas was more than forty years older than the congregation's 1877 missionaries. Peter H. Fullenwider came to Austin's colony in 1834 to teach and preach, and Hugh Wilson organized the first Old School church near San Augustine in 1838. A synod formed at Austin in 1851. In 1861 Texas Presbyterians joined the Southern church of the Confederate States, and most congregations stayed with the Southern Presbyterian Church U.S. after the war, though some formed a Northern presbytery at Austin in 1867. The two branches merged nationally in 1983.

What the plaque says

First Presbyterian Church The First Presbyterian Church in Lampasas originated from Presbyterian missionaries in 1877. The congregation was officially organized on October 28, 1881, with seven members. On September 29, 1882, the First Presbyterian Church called its first pastor, Reverend John Giffen, and erected a worship building. Over the years, several pastors would serve the church and community, including Reverend E. C. Leeper who helped the congregation gain state recognition as a religious institution and guided their growth in 1907 and 1908. In 1915, Reverend J.M. Brooks oversaw the construction of a new sanctuary on Chestnut and Third Streets. A parsonage, fellowship hall and Sunday School building were added by 1954. The congregation became the beneficiary of the Ida and Pauline Senterfitt Estate, and with this support, a new sanctuary was built in 1959 to replace the 1916 building. The congregation grew and extended its missionary outreach around Texas, other states and foreign countries. This congregation has always supported missions of mercy and ministries that nurture the faith of the congregation, and has assisted in the development of new churches. The Centennial Celebration in 1981 included publishing the history of the church. The congregation continues to serve the community of Lampasas through ministry and outreach. (2015)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Hancock Springs Park — 0.7 mi
  Lampasas's city park on Sulphur Creek, with a spring-fed swimming pool that holds about 69 degrees all year, the walls of the old bathhouse and a golf course.
• Colorado Bend State Park — 18 mi
  Old ranch country on the Colorado above Lake Buchanan, where a spring-fed creek drops 70 feet over fern-covered travertine at Gorman Falls.
• Inks Lake State Park — 25 mi
  A state park on a constant-level lake of the Colorado, between Buchanan and Inks dams, with pink granite and gneiss at the water and CCC work along Park Road 4.
• Inks Dam National Fish Hatchery — 26 mi
  A free federal hatchery below Inks Dam on the Colorado, with thirty production ponds that draw birds and a look at how fish are raised from egg to harvest.

More markers nearby

• Lampasas Volunteer Fire Department — steps away
• First Baptist Church of Lampasas — steps away
• Pierian Club — steps away
• Gunfight at the Lampasas Saloon — steps away