Lincolnton Presbyterian began life in 1823 as a Union Meeting House, serving Baptists, Methodists, and Presbyterians under one roof. Shared sanctuaries like this were common in rural Georgia, where resources were scarce but faith communities were strong. For decades, all three denominations worshiped here until the Baptists withdrew in 1876 and the Methodists in 1915, leaving the church fully Presbyterian.

The story begins with Peter Lamar, a Revolutionary War veteran, War of 1812 officer, and political leader often called the “King of Lincoln.” In 1823, Lamar deeded three acres on Raysville Road to the commissioners of Lincolnton Academy. His gift allowed for “houses of public worship” and included access to a nearby spring. Almost immediately, the Union Church was built—a wooden sanctuary measuring 30 by 50 feet, later lengthened by ten feet. It was the town’s first and only house of worship for many years.

Lamar’s influence went far beyond this church. He donated land for Lincolnton’s first courthouse, jail, and school, shaping the village that would become the county seat. The Lamar family remained prominent in Georgia public life for generations. Among them was Joseph R. Lamar, a cousin who became a U.S. Supreme Court justice and close friend of President Woodrow Wilson.

The cemetery, once associated only with the church, evolved into Lincolnton’s town cemetery. Here rest generations of townspeople, a reminder of how deeply intertwined this church has always been with its community. Today, Lincolnton Presbyterian still stands as both a place of worship and a symbol of shared history. On the National Register of Historic Places since 1982, it preserves the story of faith, cooperation, and the people who helped shape Georgia’s early frontier.