When first organized in January of 1852, the church was known as the First Regular Baptist Church of Columbus, Indiana.  The term “Regular” was dropped six months later in July.  

_ _ _

The first pastor of the church was Rev. Jesse W. Robinson who served the church one quarter time, preaching one Sunday each month.  His annual salary in 1852 was $150.   

_ _ _

The church first met in the Presbyterian Meeting House and later in the old courthouse until separation of church and state concerns prompted the County Commissioners to rule that no religious bodies could use the courthouse as a place of meeting.  

_ _ _

The treasurer reported these November expenses in December 1868:  sprinkler 65¢, coal oil 50¢, chimney lamp 20¢, matches 10¢, wood and hauling $1.25, and sexton’s salary $4.50.  Balance left in treasury was $3.63.

_ _ _

Members struggled to pay the bills in the early years.  It was such a serious problem in April of 1854 that a motion to “disorganize” the church was considered.  The motion was rescinded, however.   

_ _ _

A woman was nominated for a church office for the first time in July 1888.  Mary Clark was defeated for Church Clerk on the third ballot by only one vote.   

_ _ _

The first baptistry in the church was completed in March of 1880 at a cost of $31.  The pastor was authorized to fill it with water from the City Water Works.  The cost of the water was 50 cents.

_ _ _

On November 10, 1862, the congregation agreed to suspend all meetings until January because of an outbreak of smallpox in the community. 

_ _ _

In January 1884 the church selected the Baptist Hymnal as its new “singing book” and purchased 18 without music and 30 with music.  The cost for each type was 65 cents and $1, respectively.  

_ _ _

Until the first baptistry was completed in 1880, the Ordinance of Baptism was observed in the river, presumably somewhere along the banks of the White River in the area of what is now Mill Race Park.  The precise location is unknown. 

  _ _ _

The longest pastorate was that of Rev. George T. King who served 14 ½ years between 1924 and 1939.  The shortest was that of Professor A. B. Chaffee who served 6 months in 1882.  

_ _ _

On a September Sunday in 1863 during the Civil War, the church sexton, acting on his own, locked out the congregation from morning worship to prevent a visiting Methodist minister from the speaking from the pulpit.  The sexton was “not willing to have an abolitionist preacher in the house.”  

_ _ _

When lightning damaged the electronics in the Rodgers console in 1987, its replacement became the eighth organ in the church’s history.  The first two were manually pumped and church records indicate that at one point a young man from the congregation was paid $1.25 a month to fill the bellows during the service.  

_ _ _

After joining the church in 1856, David Doll and his wife Hester organized the first Sunday School in 1857.  He served as its first superintendent.  

_ _ _

The church was first carpeted in May 1885 after some discussion of the propriety of doing so.  Each member was asked to donate money to purchase one yard of carpet.  

_ _ _

The balance in the church treasury in February 1869 was 2 cents.  For a period of at least 8 months that year, cash balances of less than a dollar were common.  

  _ _ _

Only eight people are known who grew up at First Baptist, attended seminary, and were ordained as ministers or missionaries:  Charles P. Greenfield, Homer Kent, James Spicer, Ray King, Ron Healy, Norie Newell, Mary Mugridge Nicol and Kyrmen Rea.  

_ _ _

Electric lights were first considered in the church during remodeling in 1893.  The gas lights were retained, however, because they were less expensive.   Conversion to electricity was actually begun in 1914 and all gas lighting fixtures were finally removed in 1917.  

_ _ _

Although the congregation moved from the old church on Franklin Street in August of 1965, the structure was not razed until 1977 at which time the cornerstone was returned to the congregation and opened in a special Heritage Sunday service in April of 1978.  

_ _ _

During the remodeling of 1893, opera seats (theater style seating) were installed in the sanctuary.  They were replaced with pews in 1941.  

_ _ _

The first telephone was installed in the church in 1929.  

_ _ _

Indoor plumbing, two “toilet rooms”, was first installed in late 1916.

back to the top