The Centennial Anniversary
of the First Presbyterian Church
of Knoxville, Tennessee

and the Semi-Centennial Anniversary of
the Ministry of Rev. James Park, D. D.

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The question now is, when was the First Presbyterian Church of Knoxville organized?

There are no early records of the Church in existence from which any information can be derived.  In the second volume of Gilette's History of the Presbyterian Church of the United States, published by the Presbyterian Board of Publication, it is stated that there is no evidence that it was ever formally organized at all.  Mr. Alexander, in his Sketches of the Synod of Tennessee, published in 1890, gives the dates of the organization of Lebanon in 1790, and Knoxville in 1793; but it has already been shown that Mr. Carrick did not come to the Fork until 1791, and so the date fixed by Mr. Alexander cannot be correct.  Besides, the Presbytery of Union was erected out of he Presbytery of Abingdon in 1797, and in the roll of the ministers of Union Presbytery Mr. Alexander does not give the name of Mr. Carrick at all, although he names Knoxville First, Lebanon and Washington churches as having been organized by Mr. Carrick.

In 1786, James White, the founder of Knoxville, settled on a farm on the north side of French Broad River, above the Fork, opposite what has since been known as Bowman's Ferry.  Fifty years ago the farm was known as John Campbell's and more recently as James Kennedy's.  In 1790 General White came down to this locality and built his fort.  He and George McNutt and John Adair were elders in the Lebanon Church.  George McNutt had his residence about three miles from Knoxville on what is now the Dandridge road, just a little more than half way between Knoxville and the Fork.  John Adair lived northwest of he site of Knoxville on the road to Fountain City, and owned what is known as the old John Smith farm, four miles from the city, where probably before James White built his fort here Adair had built one on his farm.  Adair died and was buried on his farm, known now as the John Smith farm.  Both these men were Scotch-Irish, natives of Ireland.  A tradition has come down that George McNutt was accustomed to say that he loved for Archie Rhea to lead the singing in Church because he "always sung some of the seven good old tunes that the Lord made in Ireland."

Knoxville was laid out by General White in 1792.  On the supposition that Mr. Carrick began to hold services at this point about the time the town was laid out, as one of the preaching places in his Lebanon congregation, it is probable that he divided his time between Lebanon and Knoxville and preached here for several years before this Church was organized as a body district from Lebanon; and that then White, McNutt and Adair, elders in Lebanon, were transferred to the Knoxville Church.

In 1855, Rev. B. McMullen, then pastor of this Church, in his historical discourse, on information derived from aged persons in the Church and town, stated that "this Church was organized about sixty years ago" (that is, about 1795).  It has been my impression, from statements of our old people in years gone by, that Mr. Carrick was pastor of this Church twelve or thirteen years.  General White, I understand, served as elder in this Church twenty-five years.  He died in 1821, and subtracting the time of his official action in the Church, 25, from 1821, would leave 1796.  Now I assume in view of what has been said, that up to the time of the Constitutional Convention, January 11th, 1796, Lebanon Church was the only church in this section, and included the settlers here about White's Fort and those about John Adair's; and that after the Constitutional Convention in 1796 (say in the summer), the Knoxville Church was organized.  From the time we can full account for the whole ministerial service rendered.  Assuming that I know of no data from which we can fix the date of the organization of this Church more definitely or accurately than this.

Mr. Carrick offered the prayer at the opening of the Legislature of the Territory South of the Ohio, August 25th, 1794.  On the 10th day of September, 1794, the Legislature chartered Blount College, with the Rev. Samuel Carrick, President; His Excellency, William Blount, James White, General John Sevier, George McNutt, John Adair, and others, to be a body politic and corporate by the name of the President and Trustees of Blount College.

When the Convention met to adopt a state Constitution, on the 11th of January, 1796, immediately after their organization, on motion of James White, of Knox County, seconded by William Roddy, of Jefferson County, it was ordered that "the Session open to-morrow with a prayer and a sermon by Mr. Carrick."

Mr. Carrick resigned his charge of Lebanon Church in 1803, but continued to serve as pastor of the Knoxville Church, and as president of Blount College, until his death, which occurred suddenly at his residence on Sunday morning, August 6th, 1809.  The cause of his death was apoplexy.  It was a communion Sunday, and Rev. Samuel G. Ramsey, pastor of Ebenezer Church, ten miles southwest of town, was sent for and immediately came and conducted the services of the day, administering the Lord's supper to the Church, weeping in keenest sorrow over her sore bereavement.  Mr. Carrick, was a native of York County, now Adams, Pennsylvania, and was born July 17th, 1760, and at the time of his death was only forty-nine years and twenty days old.  His remains rest in the graveyard adjoining the Church, waiting the glories of the resurrection day.  In Foote's Sketches of North Carolina, having spoken of Rev. Samuel Doak, he goes on to say that "Rev. Samuel Carrick equally orthodox and not less learned or devoted to the service of his Master, was yet more liberal, tolerant and refined.  He had a great deal of urbanity, much of the suaviter in modo, less of the fortiter in re; dressed neatly, behaved courteously, was polite, genteel -- in short, he was a model of an old-fashioned Southern gentleman."

We are not able to give the names of the original members of the Church, but James White, George McNutt and John Adair composed the first bench of elders.  They were men of mark and influence; "soldiers in the Revolution, pioneer settlers, soldiers in the Indian wars in this State, ardent friends and promoters of civilization, education and religion," who served God and their generation while they lived, and dying left their children the heritage of good names.  Up to the time of Mr. Carrick's death the congregation had no house of worship, but worshipped for some years in the County Court House after it was built.  Rev. Samuel G. Ramsey was invited to take charge of the Church after Mr. Carrick's death, but declined on account of feeble health.  He, however, consented to preach occasionally until they could secure another pastor, and did so, as stated above, until May, 1812.  On the 3rd day of November, 1810, being a Tuesday, a congregational meeting was held (due notice having been given) for the purpose of consulting about erecting a house of worship.  Mr. Ramsey acted as moderator of the meeting, and preached a sermon from Haggai 1:78.  The text is in these words:  "Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, consider your ways.  Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord."

I have the original notes of that sermon as prepared by Mr. Ramsey, and among other arguments used was the following:  "Consider how dishonorable, yea how degrading to the citizens of Knoxville, not to say criminal, not have a house of worship.  Shall Knoxville and vicinity, all populous and wealthy; shall Knoxville the rendezvous of foreigners as well as Americans; Knoxville the metropolis of the State, not have a house peculiarly dedicate to the God of Heaven?  Shall Knoxville, so famed abroad for her Court House, her College, her aqueducts, and her ball room, not have a Church?  "Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon,' lest the children of the uncircumcised shall rejoice, and the enemies of religion shall rejoice, and the enemies of religion shall be glad."

"In this respect," he goes on to say, "Knoxville is a phenomenon in the Earth, for besides her there is not a capital city in the Union -- nay, in the world, where a Church is not to be found.  Thus saith the Lord: 'Arise and build.'"  The whole discourse was terse, pointed and practical, and led the people to undertake the work, which was begun in 1811.  John Crozier, Dr. Joseph C. Strong and James Park were appointed commissioners by the congregation to have the house erected.  The original contracts with the brick mason and the carpenter are now in my possession, having been found among my father's papers.  The contractor for the masonry was Thomas Durham, of Blount County, who, on March 27th, 1812, engaged to complete the brick work by the first of the following October.  His receipt for payment in full of his account is dated September 12th, 1812.  The material was furnished to Durham on the ground, by the commissioners.  Edwin Booth took the contract for the wood work, which he engaged to complete before the first day of November, 1812.  His contract for the amount in full, including $100 for extras.  The house was not then completed, but the work was arrested, probably for the want of money and material; and it was not until 1816 that the pulpit and pews were provided, although the house had been used for worship for sometime previously.  The first subscription paper is dated July 20th, 1811, the money to be paid to the commissioners on or before July 1st, 1812; and on this paper is the name of Rev. Samuel G. Ramsey for $15, and on the balance sheet showing the "account of the Brick Meeting House with James Park," is a credit of the amount of "Samuel G. Ramsey's subscription paper of $75."

Among those papers is one written in an elegant running hand, which reads as follows:  "On settlement between the subscribers for building a Brick Meeting House in the town of Knoxville, and the Commissioners, there appears to be due to the Commissioners for money expended on the said house, for work already done, over and above the amount subscribed by the congregation, the sum of $512.17."  Signed, John M. Kyle, Knoxville, January 24th, 1816.  This amount was equally divided between John Crozier, Joseph C. Strong and James Park, each of them paying $176.39, over above their original subscriptions, which is also attested by Kyle.

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This page was last updated December 5, 2003.
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