First Presbyterian Historical Facts
The church was founded on April 10, 1812, near Murfree Spring in what was to become known as the town of Murfreesboro. The original church building was erected in what is now part of the Old City Cemetery on Vine Street and was used during the War Between the States as a hospital, first by Confederates and then Union forces. The original building was destroyed. A new building site was chosen and a building erected in 1867. It was damaged in the 1913 tornado, and major repairs and design changes were made to the roof and structure. The work was completed by 1914. The office area and Sunday school rooms were added in 1959. A new common room with additional classrooms, parlor, elevator and kitchen was completed in 1998 for $1.6 million. Because the church is situated two blocks from the city square and courthouse, available expansion room is limited to the adjacent property on the block. One adjacent house and lot were purchased in 1995 for the new building built in 1998, and another property was purchased in 2003 and is used as rental property.