The very first First Presbyterian Church traced its roots from the Synod of Virginia to the Ohio Presbytery to the Presbytery of Lake Erie to the merger of the United Presbyterian Church of North America and the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America in 1958.  Then, in 1983, the northern (UPUSA) and the southern (PCUSA) branches of the church united to form the Presbyterian Church (USA).

      The first known preaching service in the Greenville area was in 1799.  This service was held on the banks of the Shenango River about one-half mile from where Greenville now stands.  This resulted in the organization of the Old Salem Church, located about three miles south of Greenville.

      The church has been through many changes, including inhabiting a log cabin in 1830 where First Methodist Church on Clinton Street now stands, to being moved to a new plot of land on Shenango Street that was donated by Mr. Joseph Keck (the great-great grand-father of Richard Keck) in 1826.  This was used until 1853, when a fire made it unsafe to use anymore. A new and larger brick building was built on the same site. In 1855 a 900 pound bell ,  that reportedly came from Admiral Perrys' Flagship Lawrence was added. In 1888 a pipe organ, hand powered was added.  In 1905 the church sold this building to the Borough of Greenville to be used as the City  Hall.   The building housed the town offices,  the police and fire departments  and used as such until moving to the present Borough  building in 1938. Since then the old building has been used by numerous commercial firms .  

    The congregation grew and soon needed more spacious quarters.   In 1889, Mrs. Elizabeth Gridley, a member of the church, offered a lot on Main Street for the new church.  The offer was accepted in April, 1889, and in 1902 it was carried out. The new church, the very one that stands today, was dedicated on January 22, 1905.  The famous bell, as well as
the pipe organ, were moved into the  new church.  The bell still rings faithfully each Sunday morning, to call God's worshippers to come to the Sunday Service.  In 1929 a new pipe organ was built for $7,252.  The new organ, which contains pipes from the original 1855 organ, is still in use in the Westminster Chapel today.  

      In 1921, the Session and Trustees were authorized to proceed with plans for a class room  addition to the rear of the 1904 building.  The addition was completed in 1922 at a cost of  $35,000.  This  new class room  building served the growing congregation until 1961, when it was remodeled to provide centralized church offices, the infant nursery, a conference room, and eight classrooms and a place for Junior Worship
     
     In 1952 a Building Committee was appointed to plan for remodeling the sanctuary.  After working five years on remodeling plans, the committee recommended building a new sanctuary.  The plans were approved in 1957; ground was broken in April of 1959, and the corner stone was laid on July 19, 1959. The new sanctuary was dedicated on October 15, 1961.  A new three-manual organ was dedicated on November 1, 1964.  The organ has 22 ranks of pipes.  The 1,320 pipes range in size from that of a soda straw to sixteen feet in length.  The Cathedral Chimes from the old organ were refurbished and incorporated into the new instrument.

    The problem still remained what to do with the old sanctuary and the 1922 addition.  In 1978 a renovation program was undertaken at a cost of more than a quarter of a million dollars. In 1979, the 1904 sanctuary was remodeled and renamed Westminster Chapel.  When the renovations were completed, the Sunday School facilities were greatly expanded and modernized.  A rear entrance foyer from the parking lot, a modern office complex, a church library, a choir room, and a church parlor with an adjoining kitchenette were created.  These new facilities were dedicated on April 8, 1979, and the mortgage for the renovations was burned in 1987.

      In recent years, improvements to the existing structure have continued.  A new heating system has been installed;  the organ in Westminster Chapel has been rebuilt;  a new grand piano is now in the sanctuary;  the parking lot has been sealed;  a restroom has been retrofitted for use by the handicapped.  Probably the most important addition has been the installation of an elevator that makes the building accessible to all.

      The First Presbyterian Church has a long history of worship and service to the Lord Jesus Christ, and the year 2000 marked the Church's 175th anniversary.