The Presbyterian Church had its formal beginnings in 1808 through the work of Samuel Blaine Wilson who had come to Fredericksburg as a young licentiate in 1806. He served as minister of the church until 1841. Twenty additional pastors have served the congregation since Wilson's time. Today the church has a membership of over one thousand, and two hundred years later continues to fufill its mission in the community and beyond.

Our current sanctuary, the second one to be used by Presbyterians in the city, is an example of Jeffersonian Reformed Revival Architecture, and it is Fredericksburg's oldest house of worship. During the battle of Fredericksburg in December of 1862, the church was heavily shelled, and in 1864, the interior was sacked and the roof partially destroyed. Calara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, cared for wounded Union soldeirs in the church.

In 1976, the building was named to the American Presbyterian/Reformed Sites Registry by the Presbyterian Historical Society. It is also listed on the Vrignia Sandmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places.

To learn more about our rich history, please visit our Bicentennial page or consult The History of the Presbyterian Church of Fredericksburg by Dr. Edward Alvey, Jr. Copies are available from the church office for $10.

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