The first organized church in Knoxville, First Presbyterian Church was founded in 1792 on land donated by the founder of Knoxville, JamesWhite, for a graveyard and church. The Church has remained at the same State Street location since that time. The first pastor, Samuel Carrick, would later serve as President of Blount College, the forerunner of the University of Tennessee. Although the graveyard was soon put to use, it would be 1812 before a church was completed. This original building was replaced in 1852 with a structure that, although designed as a place of worship, would also see service during and after the Civil War as a hospital, a barracks, and a school for the Freedman’s Bureau. The present structure was completed in 1903.

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