Some of the first Reformed church leaders to come to the English American colonies were Presbyterians who started congregations as early as the late 1600s. As the denomination grew along the eastern US seaboard, it was decided the local congregations (known as presbyteries) needed to become more coordinated with each other by forming a synod of the local presbyteries. On September 17, 1717 the first Presbyterian synod in America was convened in Philadelphia, PA in what was then the First Presbyterian Church (this is a drawing of the church).
