The First Presbyterian Church of Nashville has a rich and eventful history that spans over two centuries. Its story began in 1785 when the Rev. Thomas B. Craighead, a Presbyterian minister and graduate of Nassau Hall at Princeton, arrived in the Cumberlands to establish a school. He became the first minister to arrive in Nashville and laid the foundation for the Presbyterian denomination in the area.

Over the years, the church saw remarkable leaders, such as the Rev. William Hume from Scotland, who played a crucial role in sustaining the church’s earliest ministry. In 1814, Gideon Blackburn and a committee of six women and one man formally chartered the church, which had already existed for about 28 years.

The church faced trials, such as a devastating fire in 1832 that razed the building to the ground and another fire in 1848. However, the congregation persevered, and in 1851, a new Egyptian Revival church, designed by renowned architect William Strickland, was dedicated on Easter Day.

The church also weathered the challenges of the Civil War, during which it was occupied by Union troops and used as a hospital. Despite the turmoil, the church building was eventually returned to the congregation, and in 1865, Robert Franklin Bunting was called to be the church minister.

The church continued to pursue the common good, witnessing the establishment of new organizations such as the Martha O’Bryan Center in 1894. 
 

In  1949, the church first expanded its outreach by purchasing a Cheek House and over 50 acres of land. Located on Franklin Pike south of the city, the property was used for a summer day camp, Sunday evening youth meetings, and Oak Hill Country Day School, a nursery school and kindergarten, began on campus.

Built in 1930, Cheek House was the home of First Presbyterian Church members, Mr. and Mrs. John Cheek. Evidenced by the home’s classic look, many skilled artisans worked on the masonry, millwork, staircase and ironwork. The Cheeks had always been very active at FPC, and after their children married and moved, Mr. and Mrs. Cheek were ready to sell the Georgian-style house and 55 acres. When the church took possession of the property, the decision was made to honor the Cheek family’s generosity by naming the beautiful home Cheek House.

From 1949 until 1953, the church used what had been the Cheek family’s billiard room as a chapel, using benches for seating. In September 1953, the Stanford Memorial Chapel was dedicated in the same space and named for Mr. and Mrs. Robert Stanford, Sr., whose children Robert, Jr., Harold and Myrtle, made the chapel possible.

In 1956, the cornerstone was laid for the new sanctuary at 4815 Franklin Road. The following year, in 1957, Life Magazine featured the Six Best Easter Sermons, with FPC’s own Walter Courtenay listed as “one of six notable American pastors.” Additionally, the new sanctuary was dedicated in November. Then, in 1965, the Rev. Arch McNair was named Associate Pastor for pastoral care. Dr. Courtenay had a weekly newspaper column in the Nashville Banner, which often published the texts of his sermons.

The church’s growth continued, reaching 2,362 members by 1966.