Description

The Presbyterian Church has had a presence in the area since 1839, two and a half months prior to the chartership of Austin. Years later, divisions within the church over the issue of the Civil War caused the church to split. It was from this schism that the pro-northern Central Presbyterian Church was formed, though it was then called Austin Presbyterian (South). The title of the church has changed numerous times over the years, but they have been at their present downtown location since 1871. It was in this historic building that the Texas Conference of Churches was brought into existence, the first conference in the world to embrace all Roman Catholics with Protestant and Orthodox Communions.