Aboard the ship was the nucleus of Chicago's first Presbyterian society, as well as the man destined to be its founder, Jeremiah Porter, a young missionary.

So rough was the lake that the little schooner, further hampered by the lack of an adequate harbor, tossed about on the waves, unable to land until the following day – a delay which provided ample time for the Rev.

[7] The membership of the church increased within a few months from 26 to 47, and to accommodate both soldiers and citizens, preaching services were held for a time both in the fort and at Father Walker's cabin on Wolf Point.

We can only infer that for the two years or more the Society was in possession of this lot it must have been by permission of the Trustees of the Illinois and Michigan Canal, who held title to the land."

The lot was purchased at the canal sale, June, 1836, more than two years after the meeting house was built, by James Curtiss, secretary of the Illinois Hotel Company.

The seating arrangements consisted of benches made of ordinary pine boards, which would accommodate about 200, including settlers and the troops from the garrison.

For a few years, the parishioners had to content themselves with their simple frame meeting house, although some desired changes were effected in its condition and location.

The former situation had become undesirable, as the adjacent property was in demand for business purposes, and the people were going to the southern part of the city for their homes, "away out on the prairies below Van Buren Street."

During the seven years following and prior to the purchase of the land by the Society, the owners did not demand any rental, as they "regarded the presence of the church a blessing to the whole community."

The old frame meeting house was again enlarged by increasing its width, and, as the Society was now in a condition to have a home of its own, plans were under consideration for a permanent building.

In the meantime the finances of the Society were in such a condition that it became necessary for the trustees to sell a portion of the lot, according to an advertisement which appeared in the Daily Tribune of July 20, 1848.

Seven years later, it became necessary for the church to move still farther south, and on October 19, 1855, the trustees entered into a contract for the sale of the remaining portion of this ground, covering the 175 feet (53 m) frontage on Washington Street and the 130 feet (40 m) on Clark Street, with the brick edifice, to Hugh Maher at a price of $65,000.

Philip F. W. Peck purchased this contract from Maher, and received a deed, dated November 22, 1855, signed by the trustees.

[7] In consequence of dissension on the slavery question, twenty-six members withdrew in 1842 to form the Second Presbyterian Church.

That night a fire broke out in the West Division, crossed to the South Side, and then to the North, destroying a large portion of the city.

Immediately south of the sanctuary is a garden area, known as the garth, as well as a wing of the building complex that includes a large fellowship hall, kitchen, meeting rooms, classrooms, an art studio and a gymnasium.

Adjacent to the fellowship hall is a greenhouse, currently under renovation to serve the church garden plots at 65th and Woodlawn.

The stained glass windows were designed by two different studios, R. Toland Wright of Cleveland, and Willett Studies of Philadelphia.

The windows of the nave, the seating section of the sanctuary, were designed by R. Toland Wright Studios to portray the life of Jesus.

The three windows at the top: the center is the “Lord enthroned in glory,” the left, in a blue robe with a starry nimbus, is Mary, and on the right in red garments is John.

The lower transept windows feature “Ruth the Gleaner” and “Dorcas the Helper.” This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: P. A. Otis' The First Presbyterian Church: a history of the oldest organization in Chicago : with biographical sketches of the pastors and copious extracts from the choir records (1900)