Then and Now: First Presbyterian Church

First Presbyterian Church in Chattanooga is a local landmark known to most, especially the students of UTC. What many don’t know is the church has roots going all the way back to the Brainerd Mission, which we covered in a previous episode.

David Cooper is a church member, passionate historian, and former newspaper man. He picks up the story where we left off at the Brainerd Mission.

“The Brainerd mission closed. They had had a church there called the Brainerd Mission Presbyterian Church, and a couple of elders that were in the Brainerd Mission Presbyterian Church some months later started what is the oldest church in Chattanooga First Presbyterian. They were just the two elders and they were only about 28 people or so in the very first church that was organized and they organized in the community log cabin at fifth and Lookout streets. It’s long gone. Memorial Methodist is at that corner now, but they started that church on June 21, 1840, so the anniversary date’s coming up pretty soon. As it grew, the city of Chattanooga actually gave them land on which to build their own church get out of the community log cabin they built. It’s at third and Walnut Street. It was the first building built in Chattanooga expressly for worship.”

Despite the civil war surrounding it, First Presbyterian continued services.

Mr. Cooper continues, “There was a service going on and a visiting preacher was in the middle of his long prayer and when he finished and looked up, the congregation was gone he was there by himself. Everybody was afraid of the cannon balls.”

The church building was designed by architecture firm: McKim, Mead, and White out of New York City.

“…And it’s octagonal, eight sides, even up in the cupola there’s eight sides up above the roof.”

One of the members was a founder of the Coca Cola Bottling company in Chattanooga.

“Two beautiful stained glass windows in the sanctuary were given about one of those pioneer Coca-Cola bottlers one is the alpha window and one is the omega window.”

First Presbyterian is also notable for being the home church of Pastor Ben Haden, who hosted the “Changed Lives” radio program for over three decades. He was a close friend and associate of Pastor Billy Graham.

First Presbyterian is not just the first organized church in Chattanooga, it’s the first organization of people in Chattanooga to be established. It’s seen war, great depression, cultural change, the internet, and covid. Chattanooga is often described as one of the most “churched” towns in the United States, and this is the one that started it all.