One of the more tangled parts of Presbyterian history involves slavery and the Civil War, when a North-South schism occurred. The "Our History" page on the website of the Savannah congregation says this -- and only this: "By the time of the Civil War, the ravages of which both the church and Savannah escaped, some of the state bank notes, hand signed and dated, carried engravings of the Independent Presbyterian Church."

So far, we've seen two 1908 photos and one 1905 photo of the across-the-street neighbors, Chatham Academy and Independent Presbyterian Church. In that three-year span, Chatham Academy expanded with a new building all the way to Bull Street. The expansion is still there, so I guess it met the need.

The IPC is still there. It was founded in 1755 on land granted by George II for his loyal subjects attached to the faith of the Church of Scotland. The first building burned in 1796 and the second in 1889. This is the third building on this site, completed in 1891. The church remains officially independent of any denomination, although its current pastor has ties to the Presbyterian Church of America, the largest theologically conservative branch of Reformed (Calvinist) Christianity in the U.S. The building has a magnificent pipe organ and the old-school pews reminiscent of when families bought or rented their pews. It is located in Savannah's historic district.