Former Cumberland Presbyterian Church - Lexington, Missouri
Posted by: 
BruceS
N 39° 11.106 W 093° 52.776
15S E 424032 N 4337686
Historic church then library now museum in Lexington, Missouri.
Waymark Code: WMBHD2
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 05/22/2011
Views: 8
The building was constructed between 1846 and 1848 by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in a restrained version of the Greek Revival style. The bottom floor was completed immediately, however due to a lack of funds the main floor was not completed until 1848. The Cumberland Presbyterians first organized near Lexington in 1822. One of the founders of Cumberland sect, Rev. served as a pastor for the congregation from 1836 until his death in 1841. The General Assembly of the denomination met in the building in 1856.
The building served as a private school run by James Lane Allen, a noted author, from 1875-76. Deutscher Schulverein later held a private German school here to serve the growing German population in the the area. In 1879 the building again served as a church for Trinitatis Evangelical and Reformed congregation which used the building until 1924 when it was sold to the Lexington Library and Historical Association.
The main floor of the building was used as a public library from 1924 to 1974 when library moved to a new building. The lower floor was used for a variety of purposes including as a land bank (1934-1949) and as a meeting room for many civic organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce, Girl Scouts, American Legion and the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The present historical museum opened in the building in 1976.
The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.