First Presbyterian Church, Fayetteville, NC, Ghid vizitatori și ce de văzut în apropiere

First Presbyterian Church stands at the corner of Ann and Bow Streets in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The congregation rebuilt it in 1832 after the Great Fire of 1831 destroyed the church of 1816. It is worth a stop for its Flemish bond brickwork, which still holds pieces of the burned walls, and for a roof structure that most visitors never see.

The story behind it

The first church on this site went up in 1816. In 1831 the Great Fire swept through Fayetteville and the church burned along with much of the town. Not every brick wall came down, though. When the congregation rebuilt in 1832, they built around what was left, so parts of the 1816 walls are still inside the brickwork you see today.

The new church was designed with the help of New York architect A. J. Davis. Its most unusual feature is overhead: a wooden lattice truss roof made for the church in 1832, based on the patented truss of Davis's partner, Ithiel Town. The steeple and portico came later, designed by Hobart Upjohn in 1922.

What to look for

• Look closely at the Flemish bond brickwork on the walls, where the survivors of the 1831 fire are built into the later church.
• Notice the portico and steeple, which are a 1922 addition by Hobart Upjohn and sit on a building a century older.
• Stand at the corner of Ann and Bow Streets to see how the church sits on its street corner, then walk around it to compare the different sides.
• Think about the lattice truss roof overhead. It is not visible from the street, but it is the church's most remarkable feature.

Tips for your visit

• Allow about 15 to 20 minutes to look at the exterior and read the corner, longer if you pair it with a walk through the nearby streets.
• This is a working congregation, so check current opening hours and whether visitors can go inside before you plan on seeing the interior.
• Morning or late afternoon light is kind to brick, and it makes the details of the walls easier to see.
• The church is in the historic centre, so it is easy to combine with other stops on foot.

See it on a quest

Playing Ghost Hunt in Fayetteville, NC brings you to the church on foot as one stop of a longer route through the area. The app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle on the spot. It suits anyone who likes a spooky theme with their history. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group.

Fayetteville, NC Detective Mystery: Infiltrate a Secret Society. also passes the church. You reach it as part of a walk through the streets around it, hear the story of the place when you get there, and solve a puzzle in front of what you see. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group.