First Presbyterian of Darien (McIntosh County, Ga.)

The First Presbyterian Church is the oldest of five churches in Darien, having been organized in 1809, but its origins go all the way back to the original settlement of Darien by Scottish Highlanders in 1735. The Highlanders brought their families, the Presbyterian religion and their own minister of the gospel in the form of John McLeod. Reverend McCleod was recruited by the Trustees to provide spiritual sustenance to the Highlanders as well as provide a ministry to the Indians. Actually both of these goals had marginal results but it did result in bringing Presbyterianism to Georgia and establishing Darien as the second oldest settlement outside of Savannah. This military outpost was manned by the "warrior farmers" from the west coast of Scotland that were to provide a southern buffer against Spanish incursions into 'the disputed lands.' The Reverend McCleod did not work out so well and left Darien and Georgia in 1741 after just a few years on the job. No replacement was brought into this little settlement for several decades. Dr. William McWhir came to McIntosh county in 1809 and organized what eventually became the First Presbyterian Church in Darien. At the time, this was the only church in Darien. Dr. McWhir was a noted Irish preacher and a confidant of George Washington. He organized a church at Sapelo Bridge in 1809 but moved to Darien permanently in 1820 to establish the First Presbyterian Church with 70 members. There is some question about the exact location of the original church but it is known that it disbanded in 1862 as a result of the Civil War. Until that time, the church was thriving as a bi-racial church that reported 50 members in 1858, 15 of whom were black. By the middle of 1861 the church records showed a total membership of 120, of whom 61 were black. Alas, the dark days descended on Darien in early 1862 as the last service was recorded on March 9, 1862. Union gunboats were in total control of the waters around Darien and would frequently shell the town, causing the congregation to disburse and flee further inland. In June of 1863, according to the local history, "Darien was invaded, looted, and burned to the ground on June 11, 1863 by Union troops, which consisted mainly of black soldiers commanded by two white officers. Col. James Montgomery is blamed for the pointless destruction and was later relieved of his responsibilities. The other officer was 25-year-old Col. Robert G. Shaw, who died about a month later during a famous assault on Battery Wagner on Morris Island, which guarded the southern approaches to Charleston harbor. The movie 'Glory' tells the story of Shaw and the burning of Darien." The church was burned to the ground and there was no Presbyterian presence in Darien for years. However, in 1874 a meeting was held and the decision was made to build a new church. Built on the same site as the present one, the new building was completed in 1876 at a cost of $4,100. However, misfortune would soon visit Darien and the church again in the form of a severe hurricane in 1898. The hurricane was bad enough, but then another disaster struck in 1899 when the church caught fire and was totally destroyed. Dark days indeed, but the Presbyterians of Darien are resilient and soon a new structure, the present one, was built on the same site in 1900. The beautiful sanctuary built of 'concrete tabby' is the result.