Central Business District in Cincinnati in Hamilton County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
First Place of Cincinnati Worship
in Cincinnati stood on this site
100 feet north of Fourth Street facing Main Street
built in 1792
the Reverend James Kemper served as first pastor
Erected 1972 by Cincinnati Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the Daughters of the American Revolution series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1792.
Location. 39° 6.058′ N, 84° 30.584′ W. Marker is in Cincinnati, Ohio, in Hamilton County. It is in the Central Business District. It is on Main Street near East 4th Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 150 East 4th Street, Cincinnati OH 45202, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest and in the Ohio River Valley. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Experimentation and Change (within shouting distance of this marker); The Mercantile Library (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Kennedy Speech (about 400 feet away); Lincoln Speech (about 400 feet away); Christ Church Cathedral (about 600 feet away); Cincinnati Stock Exchange (about 600 feet away); Procter & Gamble (about 600 feet away); Margaret & Elias Longley (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Cincinnati.
Additional commentary.
1. from Cincinnati: A Guide to the Queen City and Its Neighbors, 1943, Tour 4, pgs. 171-172
The site of Cincinnati's first church is on Main St. near the NW. corner of the intersection with Fourth St., on land originally set aside by the town founders for religious purposes. The first church was a frame, boxlike structure that was still unfinished in October 1792, when members oft the First Presbyterian congregation gathered here to see James Kemper ordained as minister. The church also served as a courtroom until the courthouse could be built; in 1792 John Mays was here sentenced to be hanged for murder.
The second church, the so-called "Two-horned Church," was put up alongside the first in 1814. The third went up in 1851; it stood near the same ground but faced Fourth Street between Main and Walnut Streets. This church, with its 285-foot spire, survived unitl 1934, when it gave way to a night club. Two years later the building was razed, and the site became a parking lot.
— Submitted January 11, 2024, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 18, 2024. It was originally submitted on January 11, 2024, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. This page has been viewed 323 times since then and 42 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 11, 2024, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.

