Such is true of the First Presbyterian Church located on North Division Street between King and Musser Streets in Carson City. The oldest sanctuary in Nevada was completed in 1864 while the newest was completed in 2008. Orion Clemens who was the brother of Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, was among the first leaders of the 1864 church. Orion Clemens came west to be territorial secretary with the first and only territorial Governor of Nevada, James Nye. The present Senior Pastor Bruce Kochsmeier guided the building of the new church sanctuary.

Pastor Kochsmeier came to the church in the fall of 1995 from the La Jolla Presbyterian Church. His wife Nancy is the Director of Children’s Ministries and they have one daughter Kate who is a college student. Pastor Kochsmeier’s main goal for the church has been to lead in such a way that the congregation would come to know Christ better and understand the meaning of being the body of Christ. To help accomplish this goal he leads a Wednesday Bible Study to help people know what is in the Bible and what it means to be a Christian in their daily walk.

To help church members reach out to others Pastor Kochsmeier wants people to grow inwardly. The worship services were made stronger by adding a prayer of confession and an assurance of pardon. The music program was strengthened by the addition of Karen Dahlen as the Director of Music Ministries. A blended worship service is offered at 9 AM using traditional hymns and praise songs and at 10:45 AM a traditional service is provided. Both services benefit from the musical services of the adult choir, instrumental groups, praise team, bell choir, and as well as the organ and piano offerings.

In 2001 the congregation moved the worship services to the Family Life Center from the old sanctuary, which was deemed structurally unsafe. The Center is a multipurpose room. Once the mortgage was retired the mission budget was increased to an amount that allowed the church to reach out locally and internationally. The congregation started another building program by raising money for a new sanctuary to be built on the southwest corner of the property. Ken Pearson and the building committee worked many hours overseeing the project before it was finished. Worship services commenced in November of 2008. The new sanctuary begins a new chapter in the work of the church by providing a place for people to come and experience the gospel.

The church itself was strengthened in the community as well as in the congregation when Reverend Alan Dorway was called in 2001 as the Associate Pastor. His ministry was to youth and families both in the church and as well in Carson City. He worked with people who need a compassionate helping hand and with the deacons so that they provide a “hands on” mission outreach. He was popular among all ages and it was clear that he and Pastor Kochsmeier enjoyed working together.

In January 2010 Alan Dorway was called to become the head of staff at the First Presbyterian Church of Everett, WA. Though the staff and congregation regretted his departure, it was clearly a great opportunity for Alan to serve in a capacity that his time in Carson had prepared him for. In May of 2010 Alan graduated with a Doctor of Ministry degree from McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. He was seriously scouted by the Cubs during his time in Chicago but could never agree on a contract. The Cubs loss will be Everett’s gain!

Nancy Kochsmeier, the Director of Children’s Ministries, manages the Christian education program for Kindergarten through fifth grade both on Sunday mornings and in the midweek programs. She is also in charge of Vacation Bible School in the summer months.

The church would not be complete without the Reverend Pat Hardy, “the token Irishman.” When he preaches he always leads off with a good Irish joke. His official job description is that of a Parish Associate and Counselor. For many years he worked with the State Mental Health Clinic. He continues to work with the New Hope Counseling Center at the church.

The above recent history is given for the First Presbyterian Church but the church also has an interesting past history. It began with the formation of a congregation in 1861, nearly 150 years ago, and the building of the first sanctuary in 1864. For the reader who is interested in that early history please enjoy the following narrative.

The year 1861 was an exciting one for the State of Nevada, Carson City, and for the Presbyterian Church. On March 2 of that year President James Buchanan approved an act of Congress that organized the Territory of Nevada. Carson City was designated as the territorial capitol and with the arrival of Territorial Governor James Nye on July 7 the organization of the new territory began in earnest. Orion Clemens was appointed territorial secretary and when he came to Nevada he brought his brother Samuel (Mark Twain). Two years earlier gold and silver were discovered to the east in what is now known as Lyon County and Carson City became a supply point for the many mines.

Before the arrival of Governor Nye on May 19, 1861, Reverend William Brier, exploring agent of the Presbyterian General Assembly, met with people in Carson City who were interested in starting a Presbyterian Church. On June 2 of that year the church was constituted under the name First Presbyterian Church of Carson City. The records show that there were 11 people who agreed to start a church. The group met temporarily in a schoolhouse until a sanctuary could be built. Orion Clemens, his wife Mollie, and daughter Jennie became part of the congregation, and brother Sam raised $200 to help complete the construction of the church building. Jennie saved up money for the purchase of a pulpit Bible that was purchased after her death in childhood at an age of 10.

In September of 1861 Reverend A. F. White arrived and took charge of the small congregation who were small in numbers but big in spirit. Pledges were received for the building of the church, which was completed by May of 1864. Pastor White served until 1868 when the membership of the church was 119.




It should be noted that this church was not the first to be organized or to build a sanctuary. The First Methodist Church was organized in 1859 but did not dedicate a church building until 1867. Until their sanctuary was ready, records show that they used the Presbyterians Church sanctuary for worship. St. Teresa’s Catholic Church was organized in 1860 and an edifice was built in that same year but the building blew down in 1862 due to one of Nevada’s “Washo Zephyrs,” and wasn’t rebuilt until 1865. That building is now used for a performance arts theater. St. Peter’s Episcopal Church was organized in 1863 and a sanctuary was constructed in 1870. Hence the old Presbyterian Church sanctuary is the oldest church building in Nevada that has been in use (except for the Federation period of 1929 to 1948 when the congregation worshipped with the Methodist) since it was built until 2001.

It is interesting that the four churches were all organized and built in about the same decade. Carson City was a booming town during that time period with many people seeking spiritual guidance.

The next bit of building occurred in 1896 when a belfry and steeple were added to the front (east side) of the church and a two story Sunday school and social hall were added to the south side. The second story was left unfinished until a later time.



Below is a photograph of the church sanctuary, circa 1900, looking north across the seating area toward the pulpit, organ, choir and raised dais. The present north sanctuary wall is visible in the background. Note the individual folding theater type seats for the congregation obtained for the new south (1896) addition to the church from the old Opera House, then defunct.

Two Presbyterian ministers served for a total of 32 years for the five decades starting in 1902. However there were some unsettling events that affected the use of the church building. Reverend H. H. McCreery served from 1902 to 1921 and his 19 years of service to his Lord would be the second longest to this time (2009). The person who served the longest was Reverend John Harvey who served from 1922 until 1957 but only for a total of 28 years as his service was interrupted by circumstances beyond his or the congregation’s control. During the midst of the Great Depression the Methodists and the Presbyterians agreed to combine their resources and meet as one church body called a Federated Church. Several Methodist and Presbyterian preachers served the combined church, which met at the Methodist Church building for 19 years. Hence Pastor Harvey at times served as a senior pastor of the Presbyterian Church, as a Federated Pastor, and as an interim pastor. Methodist ministers were also pastors of the combined church during this time.

Once the 19-year span of Federation was over the Presbyterian Church needed to be patched up and repaired.During the period of 1948 through 1949 the belfry and steeple were found to be rotting and beyond repair so were taken down. Walls were scrubbed and repainted. New flooring was laid down and the pews refinished. A choir loft, a kitchen, and a furnace room were added on the southwest corner of the building. Additional Sunday school space was added to the south side along with a balcony for overflow seating. The Rose window was installed. The old metal ceiling was removed which brings up an interesting story. It seems that bats had inhabited the area between the ceiling and the roof for decades and when the metal ceiling was taken down “one ton” of bat guano hit the floor!

Like the prophet Nehemiah who oversaw the rebuilding of the walls of the city of Jerusalem, Reverend Harvey supervised the refurbishing and construction of First Presbyterian Church. Not only was Harvey active in the church but he was well known in Carson City where he was the high school track coach, chaplain at the prison, a swimming instructor, and one of the founders of the Rotary Club. When a youth bell choir was started in 1971 it was named for John Harvey’s wife Marion.

The next major construction on the church grounds was the building of the educational wing that was started while Reverend Gerald Case was pastor. This was on the northeast side of the church and was two storied. The building was started in 1960 and finished in 1968. The second story was left unfinished until a later time. The addition consisted of classrooms, office, nursery, kitchen, fireside room-library, and a social hall. Because of safety concerns the original sanctuary could not be used after 2001 and the social hall was modified and used until the new adjacent sanctuary was constructed and first used in November of 2008.




Reverend Case and his successor Reverend Paul Prichard stayed a total of 10 years. After the church had such a long relationship with Harvey, Case believed that the congregation needed to realize that they themselves were the church and not the minister hence he stayed only five years.

During the midst of the 1960s building program Reverend Harold Van Zee arrived in 1966 from the Elko church where he had been the pastor for 17 years. While there the membership more than doubled. He and his wife felt the call to come to the Carson City Presbyterian Church to strengthen and grow Christians. While at the Carson church he instituted several positive changes. Because of a health problem (a series of heart attacks) Van Zee had a presiding elder help with the worship service. This practice continues today. A paid staff person was added to assist with Christian Education. He started a lay program for evangelism that trained and sent church members into the neighborhoods inviting people to come to church. The church membership grew to 490 members. Pastor Van Zee started a monthly newsletter to inform members of activities in the church and to give personal information concerning members - birthdays, anniversaries, and prayer needs and as well as a message from him. This bulletin is now called the “Trumpet.”

Further he was chaplain of the Nevada State Senate and a member of the Rotary Club. He was able to associate names with faces and knew everyone in the congregation. Church members have said that he was a hugger and following Sunday service the pastor greeting line was backed up by his friendly hugs but no one cared. In 1983 when Reverend Van Zee retired from the ministry he and his wife Geraldine were cited by the Nevada Legislature for outstanding service to Elko and Carson City. During his tenure at First Presbyterian Church a fund was started for purchasing a pipe organ. This was installed in 1984. Pastor Van Zee’s 17 year stay at the Carson City church would be the third longest.

After Van Zee’s lengthy stay the next permanent pastor was Reverend Dr. Gregg Townsley who came to the church in 1985. Two of the things that he was known for were his gifted piano playing and his short sermons. On many Sundays before worship service people would gather around the piano and have an informal hymn sing. His three point sermons lasted 10 to 12 minutes. He said that if he could not get his points across in at most 12 minutes he was a poor preacher. During his tenure at the church the Family Life center was completed. Like other ministers he was active in the local community including the Rotary Club.

Following Dr. Townsley’s stay at the church Reverend James Hewett served as interim pastor in 1995. As was mentioned earlier Reverend Bruce Kochsmeier came in the fall of 1995. The story of this church that was started in the early days of the Territory of Nevada continues to this day serving the spiritual needs of the people in Carson City and its vicinity.




For the older history of the church, author Marvin Kientz, drew heavily on the work of Victor Goodwin, Will Wieprecht, and a historical committee. The more recent material came largely from interviews with Pastor Kochsmeier and various congregation members.