First United Presbyterian Church
National Register of Historic Places

First United Presbyterian Church

Athens, McMinn County, Tennessee
Listed
July 23, 2008
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
08000701

About this property

First United Presbyterian Church is a historic African-American church at 321 N. Jackson Street in Athens, Tennessee. The church was established in 1889 or 1890 as a mission church, led by minister Jacob L. Cook. Cook, a native of Athens and the son of former slaves, had attended Fisk University as a member of the Fisk Jubilee Singers, then went on to graduate from Knoxville College. In 1888 he traveled north to study for the Presbyterian ministry at the United Presbyterian Church's Allegheny Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He returned to Athens and started a new congregation in a building that also served as a dance hall. The current church building was built and furnished in 1892 with assistance from sponsors in Pennsylvania. The interior seating, which is still in the church, came from an opera house. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. In October 2013 the Tennessee Preservation Trust named it to its annual "Ten in Tennessee" list of endangered historic properties in the state.

Location

321 N. Jackson St.
Athens, McMinn County, Tennessee
35.44665, -84.59628

Categories

ARCHITECTUREBLACKSOCIAL HISTORY
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Trinity United Methodist Church
Civil War
0.1 mi
Old College
Industrial
0.2 mi
Lowry, William, House
Industrial
0.4 mi
Turley, John A., House
Industrial
0.5 mi
Keith, Alexander H., House
Industrial
1.2 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Athens Tennessee
1946Modern
0.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was First United Presbyterian Church listed on the National Register?

First United Presbyterian Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 23, 2008.

What type of historic resource is First United Presbyterian Church?

First United Presbyterian Church is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for First United Presbyterian Church?

The period of significance for First United Presbyterian Church is recorded as the industrial era, specifically around 1889.

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