First Presbyterian Church of Ashtabula, Ohio

First Presbyterian Church of Ashtabula, Ohio. Founded December 7, 1821. , Reverend Joseph Badger was sent to the Western Reserve of Connecticut in Northeast Ohio in the winter of 1800 by the Connecticut Missionary Society with the task of forming churches of either Congregational or Presbyterian denomination in the Ohio Wilderness. He sponsored the formation of the First Presbyterian Church of Ashtabula in 1821 with seven members. While the church was adopted by the local Presbytery, its governance was Congregational in form. In 1836 the congregation built and dedicated its first structure on this site in the core of Ashtabula City, on land donated by Nehemiah Hubbard. John Brown is reported to have spoken in that church five times. In 1860 the congregation split over the issue of slavery. The current First Presbyterian Church structure with its large stained glass windows and sloped floor replaced the original structure on this site in 1892. In an early effort to promote neighborhood worship for local Presbyterians, First Church, led by Elder Samuel R. Harris, fostered Prospect Presbyterian Church in 1899, Harris Memorial Presbyterian Church in 1914, and East Side Presbyterian Church in 1917. Meantime membership flourished at First Church during the 19th and 20th centuries, attaining almost 900 members. The structure was extensively remodeled and modernized in 1964-1965. Over the years of its existence it became known in the community for the competence and involvement of its members in several aspects of religious and community affairs formation, operation, and management.