First Presbyterian Church - Columbia, South Carolina
Posted by: 
BruceS
N 34° 00.236 W 081° 01.848
17S E 497155 N 3762592
Historic Presbyterian Church in Columbia, South Carolina
Waymark Code: WMGWM3
Location: South Carolina, United States
Date Posted: 04/16/2013
Views: 3
The FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, NE. corner Marion and Lady Sts., a vine-covered Gothic Revival edifice of reddish brown, stucco-covered brick, has a tall spire that is one of Columbia's most distinctive architectural features. Built in 1853, damaged by cyclone in 1875, and remodeled in 1925, its original grace has not been impaired. Robert Mills was an elder here 1822-30. The adjoining churchyard, covering half a block, was Columbia's first cemetery, established in 1797 and bought by the Presbyterians in 1813 for their first church. Among eminent people buried here are Dr. D. E. Dunlap, the first pastor (installed 1795), Henry William DeSaussure, first Director of the Mint, Ann Pamela Cuningham, and Woodrow Wilson's parents, Dr. and Mrs. Joseph R. Wilson. - South Carolina: A Guide to the Palmetto State, Columbia section , pgs. 229-230.
The church is much as described in the guide. The church was damaged in a fire in 1982 and restored in 1982. The church as a very active congregation and holds three services each Sunday. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.