First Church in Greene County, Missouri
N 37° 13.350 W 093° 16.541
15S E 475542 N 4119591
The first church in Greene County was located in the middle of what is now Silver Springs Park in Springfield. It was a Methodist Baptist church which was also used by the Presbyterians.
Waymark Code: WMJ49F
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 09/21/2013
Views: 2
Much of Silver Springs Park is still a relatively large, open field crossed by Jordan Creek. This field was originally called the Fairbanks Pasture.
Although there were a number of congregations in this part of what would become Missouri ever since 1806, there was no permanent church structure until 1833. In that year, a Methodist-Baptist congregation built the area's first church in the middle of the pasture.
It is unclear how long the building was used for a church, or how long it lasted. We do know that this part of Missouri was decimated by the Civil War, the church's took sides, and many churches were destroyed.
The pasture became the park in 1918 and became the first park in Springfield for the use of African-Americans.
HISTORICAL MARKER TEXT:
OBVERSE: 450 feet due west First Methodist Episcopal in Southwest Missouri was located in 1833. Size 18 X 20 feet, built of logs, puncheon floor and seats cost 18 dollars. Rev. Jas. H. Slavens, M.D., first pastor over White River and St. Francis Districts, 100 x 200 miles in extent. Marker erected by the Springfield Methodist Episcopal and Methodist Episcopal Churches South, 1921
REVERSE: University Club
Historic Marker No. IX
FIRST - Classification Variable: Place or Location
Date of FIRST: 01/01/1833
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