History of Marceline, MO & First Baptist Church

In 1886 the Santa Fe Railway Company was making plans to build a line directly from Chicago to Kansas City and on to the west. In 1887 Construction work began on the railroad and the next year, on January 28, 1888 the first town lots were sold in the new Railroad division part of Marceline, Missouri. Marceline was incorporated in March 1888. Marceline received its name from a railroad director’s wife, “Marcelina.” It was later changed to only “Marceline.”

The town of Marceline was approximately 4 months old when a handful of Baptists held a meeting and effected the organization of the First Baptist Church.

The first meeting was in a rented hall on Sunday, May 19, 1888. The Reverend J.M.P. Martin of Linneus preached and at the conclusion of the service all who felt interested in the organization of a Baptist church were invited to remain. There were seven charter members, three women and four men.

The hall was used for the services for some time. It was not until the following year that plans were made for Marceline’s “First Baptist Church.” The building erected was of frame structure and, with few minor changes, served the congregation until March 1, 1914 when it was destroyed by fire.

For a time, the homeless organization worshipped in a rented hall, the upper floor of a building owned by Zurchers. Soon, however, undaunted by their loss and led by an energetic young pastor, John H. Huff, they erected an impoverished tabernacle on one of the hills overlooking the town. The tabernacle was the scene of the most happy experiences in the life of the church.

Here they envisioned a new and beautiful edifice to house the congregation. Plans were laid and on one Sunday pledges taken. The amount of pledges is not known, but it was sufficient to lead the faithful ones in believing that their vision could be realized. The present building is that fulfilled dream. It is a massive brick structure with thirty-nine rooms and ninety-six windows. Sixty-six of the windows were in stained glass, including several memorial windows. The building also featured a spacious auditorium and Sunday School rooms with a combined seating capacity of several hundred. The cornerstone of the new church was laid in July 1914 and dedicated on September 1, 1916. The new church was a $30,000 building that was free of debt at the time of dedication.
In its history, the First Baptist Church has been served by 37 pastors, as follows: