About Us

When the Third Presbyterian Church was organized, Springfield was a town of 4,500. It had a history of nearly twenty-five years, and had been the seat of the state government for more than ten years. The First Presbyterian Church was more than twenty years old and had a fine building on Third Street, between Adams and Monroe. The Second Presbyterian Church – now called Westminster – had been organized in 1837 as a New School Church in a new denomination, which did not reunite with the Old School denomination until 1870; it had a great edifice on the northwest corner of Fourth and Monroe.

On February 7, 1849, the Presbytery of Sangamon met in a called meeting to consider the petition of forty-four men and women, who had been granted certificates of dismissal by the First Presbyterian Church, so they could organize a new congregation. The petition was granted, and the Reverend Thomas Galt was appointed to proceed with the organization of the new church. A meeting was held on the evening of the same day. The name chosen was The Third Presbyterian Church, and three ruling elders were elected: Asahel Stone, James L. Lamb, and Edmund R. Wiley. A call was extended to the Reverend R. V. Dodge of Terre Haute, Indiana to serve as Pastor.