The First Presbyterian Church of Wapakoneta is a historic former church building in downtown Wapakoneta,

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. A small brick building located along Main Street west of the Auglaize County Courthouse, it is the oldest

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

church building in Auglaize County and the oldest church building of any faith in the city of Wapakoneta. It is historically significant as west-central Ohio's only example of

Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but a ...

architecture with

distyle in antis In classical architecture, distyle in antis denotes a temple with the side walls extending to the front of the porch and terminating with two antae, the pediment being supported by two pilasters or sometimes caryatids. This is the earliest type of ...

construction, in which two columns are located in the opening between

pilaster In classical architecture, a pilaster is an architectural element used to give the appearance of a supporting column and to articulate an extent of wall, with only an ornamental function. It consists of a flat surface raised from the main wal ...

s.Owen, Lorrie K., ed. ''Dictionary of Ohio Historic Places''. Vol. 1.

St. Clair Shores St. Clair Shores is a suburban city bordering Lake St. Clair in Macomb County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It forms a part of the Metro Detroit area, and is located about northeast of downtown Detroit. Its population was 59,715 at the 2010 ...

: Somerset, 1999, 51-52. Organized in 1860,The First Presbyterian Church
Auglaize County Historical Society, 2010. Accessed 2010-05-03. the congregation included many of Auglaize County's leading citizens. Unlike the majority

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

population of the county, the Presbyterians were primarily immigrants from East Coast states such as

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

and New York. The congregation was greatly reduced by a financial scandal in the 1920s; reduced to a handful of members, it was disorganized in 1930 and its property sold. After it passed into the possession of the Wapakoneta Women's Club in that year, it served as the clubhouse until 1997, when it was purchased by the Auglaize County Historical Society. Since that time, the church has been converted into the Wapakoneta Museum by the society. In 1985, the church was listed on 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 ...

. Key to this honor was its unusual architecture and its connection to the leading members of Auglaize County society during the congregation's heyday.

References

External links

Auglaize County Historical Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:First Presbyterian Church Of Wapakoneta Churches completed in 1861 19th-century Presbyterian church buildings in the United States 1930 disestablishments in Ohio Former Presbyterian churches in the United States Former churches in Ohio Greek Revival church buildings in Ohio Historical society museums in Ohio Museums in Auglaize County, Ohio National Register of Historic Places in Auglaize County, Ohio Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio Presbyterian churches in Ohio Religious organizations established in 1860 Churches in Auglaize County, Ohio Buildings and structures in Wapakoneta, Ohio 1860 establishments in Ohio 1861 establishments in Ohio