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History
A Brief History of First Presbyterian Church
Potsdam, New York
In 1810, according to the census, the town of Potsdam had a population of 928, making it the third largest township in St. Lawrence county. The population included a dozen or so settlers who were located in what is now Pierrepont. Azel Lyman, who arrived in this area in 1810, described the situation that greeted him: "At that time there was a scattered population over the township and seven dwelling houses in the village [of Potsdam] but no church organization and few if any professors of religion. No missionaries visited the place. The Sabbath was spent by most inhabitants in visiting, fishing, hunting, etc. The Honorable Benjamin Raymond and his family were exceptions. He held religious services in his family home every Sabbath which consisted of reading the scriptures, singing, prayer and the reading of a sermon. I requested the privilege of Judge Raymond to attend with my family, which request was granted cheerfully. I invited others to make the same request and in a few weeks the house became too small for the audience and not a gun heard, not a fisherman was seen on the Sabbath."
In the summer of 1810, to accommodate these worshipers and do something for the advancement of education, Judge Raymond built what came to be known as the Old Academy and Conference Room. It was a building with one room (36' by 24'), a vestibule, porch, small steeple and a bell. Thus began what has been a lifelong association with our church and education in the community. A plaque on the west side of Union Street marks the site of this building. On June 9, 1811 the first church society was formed and it eventually this became the First Presbyterian Church of Potsdam. On March 10, 1812 the Rev. James Johnson was installed as its first pastor. He was also the teacher at the academy. Since then 27 pastors have served our church.
 In 1821 the decision was made to build a house of worship. It was completed early in July, 1921, on ground now occupied by Clarkson's Snell Hall. The church was dedicated on February 9, 1822. It was the first finished church in Potsdam and most people from then on referred to it simply as the "white church." The "white church" was used until 1853, when it was taken down and a brick church was erected on the same site. In 1867 the Presbyterian Church sold this building, together with the site, to the normal school commission.  In 1868 construction began on our present church edifice. This large new church, constructed of Potsdam sandstone, was finished in March 1872 and dedicated on June 5, 1872. There have been various renovations over the years, the most recent being in 1988. There has been one major addition to the church: the Church Community Center (called now simply the "Center"). It was built in 1970, and the connection between the two buildings was added in 1989. This connection symbolizes the Church's intention to let worship inspire service. We adopted the phrase "a community gathering in Christ and ministering as God leads" to describe our mission in the local community and in the wider world.
In 2011 the First Presbyterian Church of Potsdam, New York will mark the bi-centennial year of its founding.
Adapted from an article by A. George Davis
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