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First Christian Church, Augusta, GA
~ History ~ |
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Today's congregation at First Christian Church of Augusta, Georgia, began in 1835 with Edward and Margaret Campfield and the church's first minister, Dr. Daniel Hook. A woman by the name of Emily Harvie Thomas Tubman joined the small group soon after the death of her husband, Richard Tubman. Mrs. Tubman served as an instrumental part of the Christian Church for about half of a century, and you can read more about her and her life at Mrs. Emily's page.
Before there was a house of worship, the congregation met in parlors and rented rooms until a building could be erected for Sunday worship. It was in 1842 when Daniel Hook advertised in the local newspaper seeking bids for a church building. This is one of the advertisements from 12 :
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To Architects.
Proposals will be received until
Monday next, 16th instant, for
building the Christian Church
edifice, proposed to be built on
Reynold, between McIntosh and Jackson streets. The plan and specifications of the building may be seen at any time, at the dwelling of the undersigned.
may 12-td Daniel Hook |
When erected, the church was located at 711 Reynolds Street between 7th (McIntosh) and 6th (Jackson) and was used for worship through December of 1875. Mrs. Tubman financed much of this first building as she did for the second church building. |
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This picture of the first church building at 711 Reynolds Street was taken after it was converted into a school for girls. John Neely was principal at the time of this photo. |
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Alexander Campbell, president of Bethany College located in Bethany, Virginia (presently West Virginia), spoke in this first church building in April of 1845. Alexander Campbell is considered as one of the "founding fathers" of the Christian Church faith, and he helped start Bethany College in 1840. The college is still in existence today and has played a vital role in the education of many Christian Church ministers.
The first church building of the Christian Church in Augusta was donated to the city to serve as a high school for girls and was named Tubman High School in honor of Mrs. Emily Tubman. As interest in female education grew locally, the school expanded and room additions were built. Unfortunately, the great fire of 1916 destroyed much of the downtown area along the riverfront including the old Reynold's Street church building. This was the end of the Tubman school at this location, but a new building was built and the Tubman name carried on. Today, a parking lot near Ft. Discovery occupies the location of the old church building.
On 2 JAN 1876, the dedication service was held in the new church building at the corner of Seventh (McIntosh) and Greene Streets. Surely this was a monumental occasion having an attendance so large that not everyone attending could fit into the church sanctuary. This is not surprising with the spring-like temperatures Augusta was experiencing at the time. Early accounts say that the church pews would hold 700 patrons easily and from a write-up about the dedication service, about 1300 people were said to be in attendance.
The Reverend Z. T. Sweeney was pastor of the church at the time of the transfer, but The Reverend James Sanford Lamar, father of Joseph Rucker Lamar, was called to present the sermon at this special service. Reverend J. S. Lamar had been minister of the Christian Church in Augusta, Georgia several years before, and he continued to serve in various capacities when called to do so. |
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This marble plaque is a memorial to Rev. J. S. Lamar and hangs on the right side of the podium. |
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After first studying law and passing his bar exams, James S. Lamar returned to Columbus, Georgia, where he became interested in ministry. It was at the urging of Dr. Hook and with the financial backing from Mrs. Tubman that he entered Bethany College. Upon graduation he was called to fill the pulpit at the Christian Church in Augusta.
Little did Rev. Lamar know that he would return to the church in nine years to help both the church and the city pay their last respects to Mrs. Tubman when she died in June of 1885. It was a somber occasion for the congregation as they said their goodbyes to a woman who had been a driving force of the Christian Church for so long.
Some excerpts taken from Rev. Lamar's eulogy at Mrs. Tubman's funeral in Augusta:
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"We are not here, my friends, certainly I am not, to speak the strained and stereotyped phrases of eulogy. She needs them not. Her life is her eulogy; her work is her monument." |
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"This church has lost its best and strongest and truest earthly friend. The hand that was ready to help you in every good work, in missions, in church building, in church charities, in ministerial support, is closed forever. The blessed example of unfaltering faithfulness and Apostolic conservatism is removed from your sight. But, my beloved, it can not fade out of your hearts. She will not, she can not, be forgotten. This church, the work of her hands and the gift of her love, will tell of her name and her virtues to your children and your children's children." | |
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This marble plaque is a memorial to Mrs. Emily Tubman and hangs on the left side of the podium. | |
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First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is located at Seventh and Greene Streets in Augusta, Georgia. This photo was taken in 2005 after the small steeple had been replaced. Notice the Emily Tubman Memorial located in the median of Greene Street. It was placed here in 1994 in remembrance of Mrs. Tubman's birthday 200 years earlier. |
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After the death of Mrs. Tubman, her faithfulness to carry out good deeds for others continued through wishes in her will. She left money to churches, colleges, schools, including a bequest to First Christian Church. Her faithful giving before her death may never be truly realized as it is said that she requested no records be kept of her donations; she believed she was a steward of the Lord.
These same actions and desires to do good for others continued on through a group of women who formed the Emily Society or Emily Tubman Society. Later on, many of the women of the church would become part of the Christian Women's Fellowship or C.W.F., a unit of women who were committed to do good for others as they persisted in Christian learning and fellowship. As you can see, Mrs. Tubman has served as a role model and continues to do so as we remember her and her Christian servitude.
Many will agree that a church building is but a vessel a congregation uses for Godly worship. Having said this, much emphasis has been given to the present church building on Greene Street over the years due to the fact that this building was itself a wonderful gift to the congregation. Brick houses once occupied the lot on which the Greene Street church was built. These houses were torn down, and their bricks were used for the present church building's foundation. It was recorded that the first bricks of the foundation were put into place on 27 AUG 1874. When the church was completed, there were three parts to the complex including the sanctuary, the fellowship hall or lecture room, and the manse or parsonage. |
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Both steeples are present in this photo that was taken prior to March 1930. |
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Several changes in the church sanctuary were realized in the early 1900s. The floor-mounted gas chandeliers were replaced with electric ceiling lights, and several pews were removed to extend the podium toward the congregational seating area. As more room was available, the choir seating was moved to the center of the church behind the pulpit. The alluring, blue stained glass window in the rear wall of the sanctuary was removed but went on to live another life in Central Christian Church, a church previously known as Second Christian Church. This is a local church that also benefited from the aid of Mrs. Tubman. In 1920, a pipe organ was installed in First Christian Church and these are the same pipes that are seen today. |
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This is the pipe organ as it appears today.
More recent restoration efforts began in the 1980s. The stained glass window project involved restoring the sanctuary windows to their original brilliance as well as assuring protection for their future. Families, friends, churches, groups, etc., adopted windows and contributed money to kick-start the restoration engine. To fund other large projects, some of the money was raised in the form of donations through the Good Shepherd Tree Program and The Emily Shoppes. The community has been kind and generous in so many ways. |
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Located at the entrance to the sanctuary, the Good Shepherd Tree is a program that has helped to raise money for restoration projects in the church. This program is ongoing.
Great things have happened over the years, and a few milestones have been observed beginning in 2005. The Georgia Historical Marker for First Christian Church, Augusta, Georgia was placed in the courtyard near what is affectionately called 'Mrs. Tubman's Magnolia Tree' in April 2005. It was later that year that special donations made it possible to 'replace' the smaller steeple on September 8. The top spire had been missing since its removal in March of 1930--absent for 75 years. In October 2005, the congregation celebrated their 170th anniversary, and 2 January 2006 marked 130 years in the present building. What a banner year!
First Christian Church of Augusta, Georgia, although not named this at the time, began in the infancy of what was to become the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Great things have happened here, and we continue to look to the future while we remember the past.
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