First Presbyterian Church wants to share its long history with local historians, long-time Greeneville/Greene County families, as well as those new to the area who are curious about Greeneville’s past. Its history book, Doak Balch and the Presbyterians Who Followed: A History of First Presbyterian Church, Greeneville, Tennessee, Its Roots & Its Branches, 1780-2020, is currently at the printer and will be available starting Sunday, October 29, 2023.
The church is the oldest in the county, originating when this area was Washington County, North Carolina. It began with a gathering at The Big Spring, in what was to become Greeneville, the same year that the Overmountain Men marched to Kings Mountain, South Carolina, to defeat Major Ferguson and his loyalists in the decisive Revolutionary War battle by the same name.
The Reverend Samuel Doak, founding minister of the church, was also involved in the sendoff for the battle. He and Reverend Hezekiah Balch, the first settled pastor of the congregation, were active in the meetings of The State of Franklin, and founded two institutions of higher education, Greeneville College (1794) and Tusculum Academy (1818), now Tusculum University.
Because of a theological divide and subsequent events, this volume includes the history of six Presbyterian Congregations including Harmony/Greeneville/First Presbyterian, Mt. Bethel, Tabernacle, New Hope, Oakland, and Covenant, and the legacy that they leave in our community today.
The volume is currently available for pre-order on the church’s website. While it was originally estimated to be in hand by now, it is at the printer and will be available beginning Sunday, October 29, 2023, when the church will hold services highlighting its history at 8:30 AM and again at 11 AM. A baked potato bar lunch served by the Presbyterian Women will follow at 12 PM with an additional program to remember the past. Pre-ordered books will be available at that time and books will be sold. The community is invited to participate.
The work was begun many years ago by Louise Orr with her brother, Frank Robinson, III, and her son, Dr. Robert Orr and is being published posthumously with additions from the history committee of the church, chaired by Reverend Jim Mays. Sally Causey, a member of the committee, served as the book’s Editor.
The large format, full color, 400-page hardback, includes over 1200 endnotes, many to original source material. It also includes an extensive appendix and index. In addition to a history of the churches that resulted from Reverend Doak’s founding at The Big Spring, this will be an excellent tool for historians and genealogists.
Causey said she is excited that the project is complete and hopes that it will be a resource for anyone interested in local history and genealogy. She explained that there are many people mentioned and highlighted throughout the 240 years including mentions of partnerships with other churches as choirs came together for presentations, and as churches worked jointly to make a difference in the community.
“I hope that in the years to come, people locally and far away will be searching for information about the church, community, and/or their ancestors, and find a mention in the book,” Causey said. “Once found, the endnotes will guide researchers to the information’s source for further investigation and study.”
The link to pre-order is firstpresgreeneville.org/fpc-history-bookpreorder. Ordering by check is also possible by sending $49/book to First Presbyterian Church 110 N. Main Street, Greeneville, TN 37743 with “history book” noted in the memo. For anyone that would like their book shipped to them, please include an extra $7. For anyone who has questions about the book or who would like to make a lunch reservation for October 29, please email [email protected].
