History of FCC

On the afternoon of July 10, 1872, the church was razed by fire. A new church was built on the same site and dedicated on October 29, 1875. The Rev. Edward H. Smith preached his first sermon in the church in May of 1886; he served as pastor at First Congregational Church until his retirement in 1913. Smith was made Pastor Emeritus for the remainder of his life. He died on May 11, 1932, at the age of 89. The Reverend also served as a Chaplain in the 2nd Reg. Wisconsin National Guard and served in Puerto Rico, during the Spanish American War. The current church was finished and dedicated in January of 1912. The old church became the parish’s Fellowship Hall, which served the people for many years until it was razed and replaced by a new hall.

The organ was built by the firm of Messrs. Casavant Brothers, of St. Hycinthe, Quebec, Canada. The Young Ladies’ Society voted in 1910, to donate the funds for the organ from the society.

Some pictures of the original building can be found by copy and pasting this link in a new browser: http://historicoshkosh.org/first-congregational-church.

Pictures of the original building can be found here: http://historicoshkosh.org/first-congregational-church.