Lansing in Ingham County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
First Presbyterian Church
Photographed By Bill Pfingsten, November 20, 2016
1. First Presbyterian Church Marker
Side A
Side A
This church, Lansing's first congregation to affiliate nationally (with the Marshall Presbytery), was founded on December 17, 1847. It was organized by the Reverend Calvin Clark, an agent for the American Home Missionary Society. There were four members. The first pastor, the Reverend W. W. Atterbury, served from 1848 until May 1854. The congregation held its early services in a school, the legislative chambers of Lansing's first capitol, an inn, and a storage building called "God's Barn." It built its first permanent home, Lansing's first church edifice, in 1852.
Side B
The congregation's first church, at the intersection of Genesee Street and Washington Avenue, housed the first bell in Lansing in its fifty-five-foot tower. The bell was purchased with money raised by church women and was installed in 1856. For years it awakened Lansing, announced noon hour and curfew, and alerted firemen. The congregation's second church, at the intersection of Capitol Avenue and Allegan Street, was built in 1889. The church on this site, begun in 1947, was completed in 1953. The Molly Grove Chapel was added in 1984.
Erected 1987 by Bureau of History, Michigan Department of State. (Marker Number L1471C.)
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Location. 42° 44.091′ N, 84° 33.523′ W. Marker is in Lansing, Michigan, in Ingham County. Marker is on North Chestnut Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 211 North Chestnut Street, Lansing MI 48933, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. State Highway Department / Horatio Earle (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Optometric Association (about 500 feet away); Morgan B. Hungerford House (about 600 feet away); St. Paul's Episcopal Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); Battery A 1st Michigan Light Artillery (approx. 0.2 miles away); First Michigan Sharpshooters (approx. ¼ mile away); First Regiment Michigan Engineers (approx. ¼ mile away); Michigan (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lansing.
Photographed By Bill Pfingsten, November 20, 2016
2. First Presbyterian Church Marker
Side B
Photographed By Bill Pfingsten, November 20, 2016
3. First Presbyterian Church
Credits. This page was last revised on May 19, 2017. It was originally submitted on November 25, 2016, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. This page has been viewed 290 times since then and 36 times this year. Last updated on May 18, 2017, by Bill Rieske of Lansing, Michigan. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 25, 2016, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland.
