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History of First Presbyterian Church
First Presbyterian Church of Dallas was founded February 3, 1856, by the Rev. Robert Hamilton Byers, stated supply pastor for Presbyterian churches in Rusk and Henderson counties. The church began with eleven members. It lacked a formal place of worship so members met at various times in private homes, a blacksmith shop, a lumber yard, the courthouse, and a printing shop.
Not until 1873 was the congregation able to erect its first owned building - a small frame structure at Elm and Ervay streets (later the site of the Wilson Building). As Dallas grew, First Presbyterian Church kept pace. Its second home was built in 1882 at Harwood and Main streets, the first brick church in Dallas.
By 1897 this structure had been enlarged and so extensively remodeled that it was considered to be a new (third) building. The style was Victorian eclectic. On March 2, 1913, the congregation moved into its fourth and present home, occupying a commanding position at the turn where Harwood Street intersects Wood Street.
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