321 South Seventh
Springfield, IL
217.528.4311
Reverend Susan Phillips
OUR HISTORY
For more than 190 years, people from all walks of life have joined together as the congregation now known as The First Presbyterian Church of Springfield. Our church has a long history of service and commitment to the city of Springfield. The current building, on the corner of Seventh and Capital Streets, became our home in 1872 when we purchased the building from Third Presbyterian Church.
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Our previous building, which was located on the corner of Third and Washington Streets, was the church the Lincoln family attended. That building was sold to a Lutheran congregation and later torn down, but the Lincoln pew remains and is on display in our church Narthex.
Tiffany Stained Glass
In 1890, FPC decided to install memorial windows as part of a growing religious revival and trend paying tribute to the ministry of church leaders through colorful windows depicting biblical themes.
The first Tiffany window, Angel of Resurrection, was installed in 1895. Six more Tiffany windows followed.
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Opus 35 Pipe Organ
The John Brombaugh Opus 35 pipe organ was designed and crafted explicitly for FPC and has attracted international attention since its installation in 2000.
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The organ’s general layout follows the traditions of northwestern European organs that reached its peak development by mid-17th century. The organ has pipes made of an alloy high in lead, which produces a “vocale” sound related to the angelic sound of young children singing.
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The Lincolns
& First Church
The Lincoln family paid a fee for pew number 20 in the Washington and Third Street sanctuary. The pew number is visibly stamped on the left side under the armrest. In 1912, the pew was purchased by Mr. John W. Bunn and placed in our current building.
Mrs. Lincoln, in a letter to a family friend, Mrs. Samuel Melvin, mentioned her attachment to the pew:
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“I had intended requesting Mr. Melvin to have given me a promise that on our return to Springfield we would be able to secure our particular pew to which I was very much attached and which we occupied some ten years.”
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At the Heart of Everything We Do
We cherish the history and the legacy
built by those who were here before us,
and we celebrate the mission of this church
as we live faithfully into our future.