This photo, published in the July 20, 1956, issue of the Quill, shows the First Baptist Church at 202 N. Walnut St. undergoing a major exterior facelift. The original caption noted the new stucco finish was nearing completion, awaiting only the arrival of Carthage stone for the lower part of the tower. It also highlighted the recent installation of two large stained-glass memorial windows in the auditorium.
An accompanying article, titled “70-Year-Old First Baptist Church Stays Up to Date,” detailed the building's rich, ever-evolving history. Though early records were lost, construction on the lot began in 1886. When funds ran low, Sam Galloway and his new bride famously donated the lumber meant for their own marital home to finish the main auditorium and north wing. In those early days, before the church was connected to city water, the baptistry was filled entirely with rainwater.
The building saw constant expansion at the turn of the century. The tower seen here was added in 1900, and stained glass replaced the original clear windows in 1904. Around that time, the defunct Mission Chapel building was moved from the north part of town to become the church's south wing. In 1916, the original hand-pumped organ was replaced with a pipe organ, and property was purchased on Curry Street for a parsonage.
In 1922, a young men’s class taught by J. Will Gum dug out a basement under the north wing for new classrooms. The local men who worked on the excavation included Charlie Martin, Floyd Morgan, Horace McMillin, Chester Crawford, Vic Stone, Ray Fisher, James Carter, Will and Dick Gum, Earl Kellett, Warrant Robertson, and brothers Fred and Esco Riley. (Esco Riley would tragically perish six years later in the 1928 Bond Dance Hall explosion).
By 1940, the church purchased property for a new parsonage at South Minnesota Avenue — now Preacher Roe Boulevard — and Leyda Avenue, along with property east of the church to South Hill Street for a new educational wing. From 1948 to 1951, that wing housed the short-lived Mo-Ark College, which boasted 102 enrolled students. Following the college's closure, the original brick building was completely remodeled, culminating in the 1956 stucco exterior seen above.
