Information Sheet
R First Christian Church (
670
Collection, 1954-ca. 1960s.
One folder.
This collection
consists of a building dedication program (1954) and brief history (ca. 1960s)
of the First Christian Church at Rolla in
The Disciples of Christ congregation in Rolla began meeting about 1869. Among the earliest members were Charles and Harvey Drennon, “Aunt Fanny” Drennon, and Amanda Livesay. The first ministers were Harvey Drennon, James M. Tennison, and E. P. Belshe. The congregation met initially west of Rolla in the homes of its members in the area known as Drennonville. Later, the congregation met in the Phelps County Courthouse, the former Masonic Lodge building, and Bridge Schoolhouse. Formal organization took place in 1883. The First Christian Church was incorporated on 7 February 1889, after which the congregation purchased the former church building of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South at Eighth and Main streets in Rolla. This building was destroyed by fire in 1917. A second church, built on the same site, was destroyed by an explosion and fire in 1947. A new building, dedicated in 1954, suffered severe damage from a tornado in 1966, but was repaired. The congregation continues to meet in the same location to the present.
The collection contains two items. The first, a program from the dedication of the new church building in 1954, contains historical details on the previous buildings, building committee members, donors of memorials, builders, lists of pastors, and church officers. The second item is an undated, typewritten history of the First Christian Church through the late 1960s.
Index cards for this collection
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