First Presbyterian Church had its beginning in 1841 when some members of the Beersheba Church began thinking about organizing a church in the town of Yorkville, closer to where they lived. On April 7, 1842 some citizens of Yorkville applied to the Bethel Presbytery to constitute them into a church under the care of Bethel Presbytery. Two months later on June 9, 1842 a congregation was assembled, and consisted of only 15 persons.
By 1845, the congregation expanded to 39 members. For 20 years, from 1842-1862, the congregation met in a building which is still standing across the street, now known as the "Neely house". Inside there was a solid block of pews facing the pulpit down the middle and then two rows of pews, each against the two walls of east and west.
The congregation continued to grow as many young people from the nearby female college and the military academy began attending. Thus in 1859 the construction of our present place of worship began. The total cost of the church was about $12,300.00 and was completed in 1862. On the inside, a gallery lined three sides of the sanctuary and was supported by oak pillars. The first organ was a pump organ situated in the gallery. The choir sat in the balcony, as did the African-American members of the congregation. Downstairs the present straight-backed wooden pews had little swinging gates - "pew gates". The pulpit was situated in the center front.
