240 W. 4th St. – First Presbyterian Church

(Known as Grace Community Church)

First Presbyterian Church was founded in 1904 by the Reverend Rueben S. Smith and twenty-six members. The growing congregation decided to erect a church on three lots at the southeast corner of Fourth Street and Grant Avenue. Plans were drawn and the new building became a reality with the assistance of the Board of Church Erection and a fund-raising campaign. The church’s most notable feature is the bell tower clad with horizontal wood siding. The original structure was constructed of masonry, with red brick laid in running bond and supported by a coursed sandstone foundation.

Three services were held on dedication Sunday, March 24, 1907. The congregation flourished, necessitating a large addition to the south of the original church in the 1950s. In the 1960s, the decision was made to relocate. Since then, this building has been occupied by the Fourth Street Baptist Church and Grace Baptist Church, renamed Grace Community Church.