Starkville in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi — The American South (East South Central)

First Presbyterian Church

American Presbyterian and Reformed Historical Site

Photographed By Mark Hilton, April 9, 2017

1. First Presbyterian Church Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

On May 6, 1821, seven local citizens, including Rev. Cyrus Kingsbury, established the Mayhew Church in the area known as Mayhew Mission. This congregation was received into the Tombeckbee Presbytery in 1829 and moved to Starkville in 1834. The first sanctuary was built on Louisville Street in 1837. In 1853 the church moved into a new Greek Revival-style building on Main Street. In 1925 the congregation moved into this Neoclassical Revival-style building.

Erected 2013 by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. (Marker Number 426.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Churches & Religion. In addition, it is included in the American Presbyterian and Reformed Historic Sites, and the Mississippi State Historical Marker Program series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is May 6, 1821.

Location. 33° 27.839′ N, 88° 48.758′ W. Marker is in Starkville, Mississippi, in Oktibbeha County. Marker is on University Drive west of Caldwell Street, on the right when traveling west.

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Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 307 University Drive, Starkville MS 39759, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Starkville (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Borden Milk Plant (approx. 0.2 miles away); First Baptist Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); Johnny Cash and “Starkville City Jail” (approx. 0.2 miles away); Overstreet School District (approx. 0.3 miles away); Hic A Sha Ba Ha Spring (approx. 0.3 miles away); Oktibbeha Gardens (approx. 0.4 miles away); Oktibbeha County Blues (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Starkville.

Regarding First Presbyterian Church. First Presbyterian Church is one of 445 American Presbyterian and Reformed Historical Sites registered between 1973 and 2003 by the Presbyterian Historical Society (PHS), headquartered in Philadelphia. Approved sites received a metal plaque featuring John Calvin’s seal and the site’s registry number (PHS marker location unknown).

The following text is taken from the Presbyterian Historical Society website:

The First Presbyterian Church of Starkville, organized in 1834, is an outgrowth of the Mayhew Mission to the Choctaw Indians, begun by Rev. Cyrus Kingsbury. In the 1830s, when the Choctaw were
Photographed By Mark Hilton, April 9, 2017

2. First Presbyterian Church
forcibly relocated to the Oklahoma Territory, Rev. Kingsbury and most of the other missionaries went with them. With the mission dismantled, the congregation opted to move to Starkville, about seven miles to the southwest. The current church, built in the classical Greek style, was erected in 1924. In the 1950s, a three-story education building was added to the campus. The sanctuary stands at the highest elevation in Starkville, just a few blocks west of Mississippi State University, with a commanding view of the downtown area.

The view west on University Drive. image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Mark Hilton, April 9, 2017

3. The view west on University Drive.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 15, 2018. It was originally submitted on April 11, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 271 times since then and 59 times this year. Last updated on August 15, 2018, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 11, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.