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First Church of Christ, Scientist, also known as First Christian Science Church Edifice, is a church building located in
Oconto, Wisconsin Oconto is a city in Oconto County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 4,609 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Green Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is located partially within the town of Oconto. History Oconto is h ...
. Built in 1886 of stone, weatherboard and brick in the
Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
style, it was the first purpose-built Christian Science church edifice in the world. It was added to the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1974.


History

First Church of Christ, Scientist, Oconto, was organized on June 10, 1886 as "the Christian Science Association of Oconto," with the building being finished in October of that year for less than $1,000; but for various reasons it was not dedicated until February 1887. Other Christian Science groups were meeting at the time around the United States, and the membership of the Oconto church did not realize they had built the first Christian Science church edifice in the world until later. Laura Sargent and her sister Victoria, who were very involved in the founding of the church, would go on to play important roles in the movement.


Current use

The building is still used for Christian Science religious services, although First Church of Christ, Scientist, Oconto, is now ''Christian Science Society, Oconto''.''The Christian Science Journal'', February 2007, p.116, The auditorium seats 100 people.


See also

*
List of Former Christian Science Churches, Societies and Buildings This is a list of former Christian Science churches, societies, and buildings. Following its early meteoric rise, the Christian Science Church suffered a steep decline in membership in the second half of the twentieth century. Though the Churc ...


References


External links


Wisconsin historical marker
{{DEFAULTSORT:First Church Of Christ, Scientist (Oconto, Wisconsin) 19th-century Christian Science church buildings Churches in Oconto County, Wisconsin Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin Christian Science churches in Wisconsin National Register of Historic Places in Oconto County, Wisconsin Churches completed in 1886