1892 to Present
Location
610 East Watauga Avenue, Johnson City, TN
History
Watauga Avenue Presbyterian Church was organized as the Second Presbyterian Church of Johnson City on September 27, 1892. The church initially met at the Martha Wilder School on the corner of Myrtle and new Streets, then at the Lusk School at the corner of Watauga Avenue and Roan Street. It was chartered in 1894 as the Watauga Avenue Presbyterian Church and has been at the present location at 610 East Watauga Avenue since 1896. John W. Cox, John W. Cure, Sam W. Wilson, J.E. Brading, Wm. B. Whiteside, James E. Strain, W.J. Palmer, J.A. Mathes and H.A. Talhelm signed the charter on 14 May 1894.
During the Civil War, the Presbyterian Church separated into “Northern” and “Southern” denominations. One of the expressed reasons for establishing a second Presbyterian church in Johnson City was the members’ desire to be associated with the “national Presbyterian Church,” officially known as the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. In 1983 the two major divisions of the Presbyterian Church were reunited as the Presbyterian Church U.S.A.
In 1966, as the African-American Bethesda Presbyterian Church on Millard Street, founded in 1899, closed because of declining membership, its members were invited to join Watauga Avenue Presbyterian Church, which became one of the early integrated churches in the city. Twenty-six members of Bethesda transferred their membership to Watauga Avenue; others joined the Jonesborough Presbyterian Church.
Inside Watauga Avenue Presbyterian Church – 2005
Pastors
D.L. Lauder, 1897-1898
R.F. Wertz, 1899-1900
Jere A. Moore, Apr. 28, 1901 – Apr 1, 1908
Dayton A. Dobbs, D.D., Jun. 14, 1908 – Mar 31, 1917
Edgar J. Vance, Oct. 1, 1917 – Apr 30, 1929
A.F. Von Tobel, D.D., Nov. 1, 1929 – Jan. 31, 1931
Raymond Coile Rankin, D.D. May 31, 1931 – Aug 31, 1944
J. Curtis Hodgens, Jul. 8, 1945 – Dec. 3, 1950
Howard C. Walton, Jr., D.D., May 1951 – May 31, 1957
Carl C. Murray, Sep. 22, 1957 – Aug. 31, 1962
Donald E. Frederick, Jul. 17, 1963 – Dec. 1, 1971
George Hubbard, Dec. 31, 1971 – Sep. 1972 (Interim)
Donald E. Lagle, D.D., Sep. 10, 1972 – Apr 30, 1981
Charles Carson, .D., Aug. 1, 1981 – Jan. 31, 1982 (Interim)
Ronald Lee Bowie, Feb. 1, 1982 – Sep 11, 1988
Raymond Saunders, Dec. 1, 1988 – Sep. 30, 1989 (Interim)
David Johnston Wood, M.Div., Sep. 18, 1989 to Sep. 15, 1999
Robert L. “Bob” Lowry, Rev. Dr. – Sep. 15, 1999 – Jul 31, 2000 (Interim)
George Leslie Rolling, Rev. Aug. 27, 2000 – Jun. 15, 2014
Margaret “Maggie” Palmer Lauterer, Rev. – Oct. 1, 2014 – Aug. 22, 2015 (Interim)
Patricia Healy Locke, Rev. – Aug. 23 2015 – present.
Posted 8 Oct 2005.