The First Presbyterian Church of Tulsa was organized in 1885. It originally met in the store owned by James M. Hall and Harry C. Hall. The first permanent minister, Reverend Charles William Kerr and his wife arrived in Tulsa in 1900. Kerr remained at this church for over 40 years. Under his leadership, the church became the second largest in its denomination (the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America). This church is part of the Eastern Oklahoma Presbytery of the United Presbyterian Church in the USA (UPCUSA).
| First Presbyterian Church | |
| Location | Tulsa, Oklahoma |
|---|---|
| Country | U.S. |
| Denomination | Presbyterian Church in the United States of America |
| Website | [3] |
| History | |
| Founded | 1885 |
| Founder(s) | James M. Hall |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Church |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architectural type | Gothic |
| Completed | 1926 |
Contents |
In 1882, two brothers, James M. Hall and Harry C. Hall, established a general store at what is now the intersection of First and Main Streets, near the Frisco railroad tracks in the Indian Territory town of Tulsa.[1] James Hall has been credited with organizing First Presbyterian Church (FPC), the first permanent protestant church in Tulsa, which began meeting at the store in 1885. The first ministers at this church were itinerant Presbyterian missionaries, whose salaries were paid by their denomination, the Presbyterian Church of the United States of America (PCUSA). Rev. Robert McGill Loughridge, preached the first sermon in 1883 on the porch of the Hall store.
In 1901, Reverend Charles William Kerr, a missionary from Pennsylvania, answered a call to become the first permanent minister. He proved to be a very dynamic personality and instigated a rapid growth of the congregation. The discovery of oil at nearby Red Fork in 1901 and another at Glenpool in 1905 had initiated a population boom that would radically transform Tulsa over the next half century. FPC soon outgrew the Hall store and moved to a purpose-built clapboard structure at 4th street and Boston Avenue, completed in 1899.[4]
James Hall had also founded the Union Sunday School, an interdenominational organization, with two other people. Later, he became superintendent of the FPC Sunday school, a position he held for twenty years.
In 1910, the church moved to a new three-story limestone building at the southeast corner of Seventh Street and Boston Avenue. An impressive building in its day, it had a domed roof and Ionic columns on the porticos.
When the infamous Tulsa Race Riot occurred on June 1, 1921, Rev. Kerr opened the basement of this structure to house refugees, primarily women and children, from the Greenwood district. One book about the riot states that the bodies of four dead black men were left at the church door.[2]
The third permanent building was completed in 1926, adjacent to the 1910 structure. This building is shown in the 2007 photo above. Mrs. Kerr dubbed it the "high kirk" of Tulsa.
The General Assembly of the PCUSA held its annual meeting at FPC in 1928. In 1932, Reverend Kerr was elected moderator of the General Assembly.
Rev. Kerr retired as Senior Pastor in 1941, and remained as Pastor Emeritus until his death.
The 1910 building was demolished in the early 1950s and replaced by the current C. W. Kerr Building.
In 2010, FPC began constructing a new facility at 7th and Cincinnati Avenue. This expansion will contain a new sanctuary on the south side, offices and classrooms on the north side, and a courtyard shaped like a Celtic cross in the middle. The new complex is said to cost $33 million.[3]
![[4]](http://www.tulsaokhistory.com/hall/presbyterianchurch.jpg){kind=link}