First Congregational Church

First Congregational Church. . The birthplace of First Congregational Church was in an abandoned enlisted men's barracks at Fort Dakota, a frontier outpost. The fort closed in 1869. Before its buildings were razed, many newcomers coming to resettle Sioux Falls temporarily lived in the Old Barracks, and in 1870 an adult Sunday school was organized there. With leadership provided by the Reverend J. A. Palmer of the American Home Missionary Society, the First Congregational Church was founded in the Old Barracks in 1872. Hattie C. Phillips and others from the Sunday school were charter members., On July 28, 1872, the Reverend Dr. J. E. Roy of the missionary society preached the first sermon to the small new congregation. Inez C. Van Eps directed the hymn singing. Lottie Ledyard's portable organ was carried to the barracks, and she provided organ music for the service. Pews were simple wooden benches, the floor was dirt, and the preacher's pulpit was a wooden box covered with draperies., At first, worship services were alternated every other Sunday with a church in Canton. The Reverend Palmer made the journey between Sioux Falls and Canton on horseback. In November 1873 a move was made from the Old Barracks to Allen's Hall which was located on the northeast corner of 8th Street and Phillips Avenue. Members for the first time enjoyed the comfort of chairs and "many other proper conveniences," and a Sunday school for children was organized with Edwin A. Sherman as superintendent., In January 1879 the congregational resolved to "arise and build" and by September members had moved into a newly completed church building on Dakota Avenue near this site. The new church was a plain brown clapboard building that was fondly referred to as God's Barn. It served the needs of members for 30 years. After becoming church pastor in 1905, the Reverend Dr. Frank Fox soon became the leader of a drive for a new church building. Badges were sold on the streets of downtown Sioux Falls, coins were collected, and members donated money and land. Plans were made to sell God's Barn, and the Ladies Aid Society raised money by helping to operate the city's streetcars for one day. An impressive new building, constructed of locally quarried Sioux quartzite, was dedicated April 14, 1909., First Congregational Church, a member of the United Church of Christ, has remained a "church in the heart of the city" since its humble beginning in a deserted army post.