Then & Now: Chelsea First Congregational Church

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The church ruins after the fire in 1894.

From Chelsea Area Historical Society

Do you know which church served as a meeting place in early Chelsea?

The First Congregational Church of Chelsea was organized in 1849 with 16 charter members, and the church was built in 1849 on a hill donated by Elisha Congdon, one of Chelsea’s founders. The attractive wooden structure and parsonage were located where the current brick church is located at 121 East Middle Street.

The original First Congregational Church was built in 1852 on the same site where the current one stands.

An almost above-ground basement was heated by a furnace rather than by stoves and fireplaces. This heated basement was in high demand as a meeting place for civic and cultural events in Chelsea. Because of its constant use, the village council installed the only street lamp outside the business district in front of the church. This was the only church in Chelsea for eight years.

The second church as we know it today.

On February 18, 1894, the church and parsonage were destroyed by a fire that began at Glazier Stove Works on Main Street, and the new Romanesque-inspired church designed by Stanley Osgood from Grand Rapids and built on the same site. However, the members built the new parsonage one block east of the church to protect it from loss again.

The second church’s original sanctuary.

For more on Chelsea fires, watch for the opening of the new “fire” building at the Museum on September 11.

Photos courtesy of Chelsea Area Historical Society.

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