Historic marker unveiled at First Presbyterian

PRESCOTT – Tuesday afternoon was blustery and overcast, but this didn’t bother those gathered for the unveiling of a historic marker at the former First Presbyterian Church.

Duncan Culpepper welcomed everyone, saying the land for the church was donated by former Gov. Duncan McRae, who also preached and was a leader in the state and community.

Truman Warren, a former pastor at the church, talked about why everyone was there. Warren was pastor when ground was broken for this church building and was primarily responsible for getting the historical marker. He said when he came to Prescott, the congregation was older people, who forgave his mistakes, calling it the perfect setting for a new young pastor.

The building is now owned by the City of Prescott and used as a meeting place and youth center. Warren said it dawned on him something was needed to show why the building is here. The pandemic slowed things down, as it took three years to get the marker in place. He said it took a lot of hard work, dedication and donations from generous people for this to become a reality.

Ashley Sides, the outreach coordinator for the Arkansas Historical Program, spoke on the importance of preserving out history. Historical preservation, he said, and the markers, are about identity, who we are. When we preserve history, he added, it empowers us, but it’s not about trying to live in the past. “Our ancestors speak to us through history and these markers are bread crumbs showing where we’ve been and help us tell our story.”

Rex Nelson, with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, spoke, saying Southwest Arkansas is his native area as he’s from Arkadelphia. He pointed out Arkansas has had 200 years of natural and man made disasters, which makes it a hard place to live. He talked about how the state suffered with the Civil War and through Reconstruction, the flood of 1927, followed by the droughts of 1930-31, and the flood of 1937.

Churches, he said, began civilization in the state and it’s important to recall historic churches in the state. “It’s important to have markers like this.”

Once the speeches were done, members of the McRae family gathered around the marker for the unveiling. The celebration ended with bagpipers from Lyon College playing “Amazing Grace”.