Second Presbyterian Church

At this location stood Second Presbyterian Church constructed in 1752. The Great Awakening preacher Rev. Gilbert Tennent led its founding and organization in 1743 as a “New Light” congregation friendly to the Awakening. In 1789, the building hosted the first General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. moderated by Rev. Dr. John Witherspoon, signer of the Declaration of Independence. Witherspoon’s former student, Rev. Ashbel Green, served as minister of the church and chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives concurrently.