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First Presbyterian Church of Shelbyville, Kentucky

A Short History by Betty Matthews

Presbyterians in Shelbyville first met in homes with the Reverend Archibald Cameron as minister. He also ministered to the Fox Run and Mulberry Presbyterian Churches. In 1807 the communicants numbered twenty-five. November 1809, Robert P. Allen, Singleton Wilson and Moses Hall bought lot 83 from the Trustees of the town for six pounds fifteen shillings. Not until 1819 did the Shelbyville congregation proceed to construct a house of worship on the lot. By the fall of 1820 a church was erected. This frame structure was destroyed by a violent storm in 1823. It was replaced by a sturdy brick church with a burying ground for members as well as others.

In 1824 the church roll numbered fifty-eight. As the town grew, so did the congregation. In 1828, the year of the Great Revival, membership grew to one hundred and forty-three. By 1839 there were two hundred and thirty-six members. Because the congregation outgrew this building, in 1847 Samuel Shannon, as Trustee for the church, purchased lot 32 on the northeast corner of Main and 7th Streets. The old church property was sold to the Associate Reformed Church for $600. Today the Public Library stands on this lot.

The style of architecture for the new church was Grecian with four very large Doric columns supporting the pediment. The pipe organ was the first used in any church in Shelbyville. A Belfry Tower contained a bell that the sexton rang for every service. This bell was used by the church until the fire in December 1891.

The Civil War years (1861-1866) brought discord, not only in the country, but in the Churches as well. First Presbyterian Church in Shelbyville did not escape the dissension. In 1866 the Reverend William C. Matthews, who had been pastor since 1847, and around fifty members withdrew and formed the First Assembly Presbyterian Church U.S.A. They met in the College Chapel until a new church was built at 9th and Main Streets. It was dedicated in December 1871. The remaining congregation stayed in the existing sanctuary and affiliated with the Louisville Presbytery U.S. (Southern). The Reverend J. S. Grasty was called to be the minister.

The last service in the Grecian-style Church was March 5, 1888. The Church was torn down and the congregation met in Layson Hall while a new church was being built. In December 1888 the Church Sunday School rooms were ready for occupancy. The building was not completed until June 1889 when the dedication was Sunday, June 30. The cost of the furnished church was $20,000. Communicants numbered one hundred and sixty. A great calamity occurred Sunday morning around 1 A.M. the 27th of December, 1891. The Church caught fire--the cupola's flames illuminating the country around for miles. Everything in the building was lost, including the Reverend D.E. Frierson's extensive library. The members arriving for church that morning found only the walls remaining. While the burned church was being rebuilt, the congregation met in the unused Episcopal Church. June 3, 1893, the new church was dedicated and membership now numbered one hundred and seventy-eight.

After eleven years ministering at First Assembly Presbyterian Church U.S.A., the Reverend William E. Byce asked to be released from his ministry to accept a call to a Presbyterian Church in Iowa. The Church found itself without a minister until late 1907 when it called the Reverend J. Rockwell Smith. Communicants numbered fifty-four at that time. In January 1909 the Session considered reuniting with First Presbyterian Church U.S. It was approved and the Reverend Smith offered his resignation effective April 1909. First Presbyterian Church minister, the Reverend David M. Sweets, terminated his ministry in March 1909. The joint congregation then called the Reverend W. A. Anderson. The First Assembly Presbyterian Church and lot were sold and one half the proceeds were given to the United Church. The other half of the proceeds were given to the Presbytery of Louisville of the Synod of Kentucky U.S.A.

The Presbyterian Church has occupied this beautiful Church of one hundred and six years with a few modernizations. In 1950, with the closing and demolition of Mulberry Presbyterian Church, an addition was built with the Good Shepherd window removed from the Mulberry Church now serving as the focal point of the extended Sanctuary. The tower bell, the only hand-pulled bell in a Shelbyville Church, still tolls.

Over the years we have been blessed with inspiring ministers, dedicated Elders and a loyal congregation now numbering around three hundred and fifty. A milestone was reached in 1996 when Dr. Lynn Williamson was called to be the first woman minister.