Central Presbyterian Church, Austin

Central Presbyterian Church, situated at the intersection of Brazos and Eighth Street in the city's northeast corner, is a part of Mission Presbytery within the Synod of the Sun region, affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA).

This religious community has its origins dating back to October 13, 1839, when Austin's inaugural Presbyterian worship service took place at Bullock's hotel. The City of Austin was officially chartered two and a half months later, on December 27, 1839. Among the attendees of this service was Abner Cook, a builder and elder in Austin's first Presbyterian church. Following a split in the church after the Civil War, Cook played a role in securing the land at the northeast corner of Brazos and Bois d'Arc (now Eighth Street) for the Presbyterian Church (South). In 1874, they completed the construction of a sanctuary on this site, and in 1957, the present-day sanctuary was erected. In 1989, the Texas Historical Commission recognized it as a historical site.

Throughout its history, the congregation has counted prominent figures like Gov. Francis R. Lubbock, William Sidney Porter (O. Henry), A. N. and Jane Y. McCallum, Dr. George Clark and Rebecca Kilgore Stuart Red, and U. S. Attorney General Thomas Watt Gregory among its members. Rev. Richmond Kelley Smoot, who served as pastor from 1876 to 1905, played a significant role in both the national denomination and the development of the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.

Originally identified as Presbyterian Church (South), the congregation subsequently adopted names like Austin Presbyterian Church, Southern Presbyterian Church, Free Presbyterian Church, and First Southern Presbyterian Church. In 1983, following the national reunification of the Northern and Southern branches of the denomination into the Presbyterian Church (USA), the church adopted its current name, Central Presbyterian Church.