Walnut Street Presbyterian

Walnut Street Presbyterian Church has some of the longest religious history in Evansville. It gets its roots from the first church in Evansville, “Little Church on the Hill,” or the “Little Brick Church.” It was initially founded by Rev. Calvin Butler in 1832 and was non-denominational. However, by 1836, most of the denominations had found a new home, and the Presbyterian church officially had its own place of worship. Thirty years later, the congregation would move locations to the Walnut Street Presbyterian church in 1868. In 1926, the two Presbyterian churches (Walnut Street and Grace Presbyterian) merged to form First Presbyterian Church, which can be found on SE 2nd Street. After Walnut Street, Presbyterian left the historic church, and First Christian Church moved in. In 1948, the old landmark church had to be rebuilt after a devastating fire flattened it. Now, the building is a gathering church and has been since 2012.

The Presbyterian religion has been around in Evansville since the beginning. In 1821, Rev. D. C. Banks came to Evansville and began ministering to the few people who lived there. He ministered in basements, large gathering rooms, private homes, and more. However, it wasn't until Rev. Calvin Butler arrived in Evansville in 1831 that the construction of an actual centered church would be started. He raised $1,300 by taking donations from wealthy men in the area, with the biggest contribution coming from John Shanklin in the amount of $100.00. After one year of building the church, it was completed in 1832. Originally, the Little Church on the Hill was non-denominational; however, by 1836, most denominations had moved, while the Presbyterians remained. 

In 1836, Rev. Jeremiah R. Barnes came to Evansville to be the new pastor; he notes that the most noticeable thing about the church was the “largeness of its windows,” which attests to the beauty of the church. Unfortunately for Rev. Barnes, he came in during a turbulent turning point for the Presbyterian religion, and the congregation quickly split in half between Old School and New School. The leaders of the Presbyterian Church in Vincennes, Indiana, called for the removal of Rev. Barnes for “heresy” acts. However, most members loved Barnes, so the church separated into Grace Presbyterian Church (Old School) and Walnut Street Church (New School). The original building was torn down in 1860, with some brick being preserved and incorporated into the new Walnut Street Presbyterian Church.  

The Walnut Street Church was founded by Rev. WM. H. M’Carer in 1861. From 1861-1863 services were given in the basement of the Walnut Street Church while construction was finishing up. The move caused the church to multiply; the first communion in the new building in February of 1861 was administered to sixty new persons. Rev. M’Carer would finish out his 18 years with Walnut Street Presbyterian 5 years later in 1868. 

After a turbulent first thirty years, the next fifty would be relatively quiet until 1920, when Walnut Street Presbyterian and Grace Presbyterian would again join congregations into First Presbyterian. A year later, First Christian moved into the ancient church and remained there until 1944, when the building tragically burned down in a devastating fire. It was rebuilt in 1948, and First Christian would continue to worship there until 2011 when the congregation moved to a much larger location on the north side of town near McCutchenville. Now, the building is a Gathering Church and has been since 2012. 

Walnut Street Presbyterian, Historic Evansville. Accessed December 3rd, 2023. https://historicevansville.com/site.php?id=walnutstpresby.

Reilly, Mary F. . Gilford, Emily. A Century of History of the Walnut Street Presbyterian Church of Evansville, Indiana. Evansville, Indiana. Kirkpatrick IIeim. PTG. Co., 1921.