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Description |
First Baptist Church: A tiny Baptist church consisting of thirteen faithful souls organized in Joplin in April 1889 and met in homes. J.W. Keltner, who had attended the Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, arrived later that year and set to work building up the congregation. On August 24, 1890, the Baptist Church, now with 200 members, broke ground for a new church building at 7th & Pearl. Construction began in 1893 but wasn't completed until 1895. The $20,000 one-story building, red brick with a limestone basement, featured a 40-foot tall corner tower, arched stained glass windows, and buttress supports. Very evangelistic in focus, First Baptist Church planted several mission churches in its desire to save more souls. There was Gregg Mission, located "some distance " southwest of the city, East Joplin Baptist at Taylor & Missouri, Empire Street Baptist at 24th & Empire, Bankers Chapel at 16th & Indiana, and Second Baptist at 19th & Ivy. By 1910, First Baptist's own membership stood at 800. Sources:Joplin City Directory. Joplin, Mo. 1895.Joplin Globe. April 22, 1989. "Church to Mark 100th Anniversary. "Joplin Globe. October 26, 1990. Joplin News Herald. January 17, 1909. "Joplin churches. "Livingston, Joel T. A History of Jasper County and its People. Chicago: Lewis Publishing, 1912.Sanborn Fire Insurance Map. 1896. First Presbyterian Church: Designed by architect August Michaelis, the First Presbyterian Church was under construction from 1900 to 1902. In 1900, the church's annual budget amounted to $3,200, most of which went to pay the salaries of the pastor, choir leader, and organist. Although the building was completed in 1901, there was no money to purchase seating, light fixtures, carpet, or organ. It wasn't until 1902 that the building was ready for its congregants. It cost $25,000 to complete the Grecian-style temple with its large dome, arched doors and windows, and pedimented pavilions topped with acroteria (the ornamental pieces at each point of the triangular pediment). Although this tinted postcard shows the church as pink in color, the inscription on another postcard indicates that the brick was yellow. A gallery overlooked the auditorium, furnished with a pipe organ, and elliptical ceilings loomed above. The building also featured a library, "Christian Endeavor " room, Sunday-school rooms, ladies' parlors, kitchen, dining room, and "sanitary conveniences." Financial and maintenance problems continued to plague the fine folks at the Presbyterian Church. From the very beginning, the dome leaked, ruining the plaster ceiling below. In 1906, it was necessary to completely repair and redecorate the structure--removing ruined carpets, replacing plaster, repainting the walls and ceilings, and making the dome structurally sound. In 1910, 484 members struggled to make ends meet. Finally, in 1916, their perseverance paid off, and they paid off all their debts. The worst disaster for the church transpired in February 1923. A horrendous fire swept through the building one night. By morning, all that was left standing was the north wall. The rest lay in ruins. Most tragic of all, a firefighter, Robert Lee Sherwood, lost his life when the dome collapsed. His death was the first in the 50-year history of the Joplin Fire Department. Had he survived, Sherwood would have married Miss Emma Thomas the following afternoon, on Valentine's Day.In spite of all the physical and financial obstacles, First Presbyterian Church still managed to plant several mission churches around town-North Heights Presbyterian at B & Moffet and Bethany Presbyterian at 18th and Virginia. Sources:First Presbyterian Church. Sixty-Fifth Anniversary Program. A History of the First Presbyterian Church, Joplin, Missouri. 1938.Gibbons, Charles. Angling in the Archives. p. 183. Joplin, Mo." H. Lang Rogers, 1996. The First Christian Church organized in Joplin in 1874. A rapid succession of dynamic evangelists swelled the membership, and in 1901 this brick Romanesque Revival church house was constructed for $25,000. It featured beautiful stained glass "rose " windows and a 3-story corner tower topped with a spire and finials. The church continued to increase at a rate of 120 per year. A 51-day revival meeting conducted by W.E. Harlow and V.E. Ridenour added 675 new members to the church! Bible School attendance ran from 500-800 each week, and church membership totaled 900. During this exciting time of growth, the Dorcas Circle purchased and installed the first pipe organ Joplin had ever seen. Always evangelistic, the church sponsored missionaries to Charleston, S.C. and Japan and set up mission churches in Joplin as well-Villa Heights and South Joplin. The Local Option question on alcohol came up in the teens of the 20th century, and minister E.F. Walters helped lead the fight for Prohibition. So vicious was the fight that the minister had to have a bodyguard. After would-be arsons made two attempts to set fire to the church building, guards were placed on duty at night. Sources:Brown, Rich. "Church Marks 125th Birthday." Joplin Globe. November 6, 1999.Gibbons, Charles. Angling in the Archives, p. 39. Joplin: H. Lang Rogers, 1996.Joplin News Herald. January 17, 1909. "Joplin Churches. "Simmons, Donnie. First Christian Church Through the Years. n.d. |
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