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First Presbyterian Church (Waitsburg, Wash.) Records, 1879-1983

Overview of the Collection

Creator
First Presbyterian Church (Waitsburg, Wash.)
Title
First Presbyterian Church (Waitsburg, Wash.) Records
Dates
1879-1983 (inclusive)
Quantity
1.5 linear ft., (2 boxes)
Collection Number
PNW Protestantism Collection F
Summary
Early records of First Presbyterian Church of Waitsburg, Washington, including especially minutes of the Session and various women’s organizations.
Repository
Whitworth University Archives and Special Collections
Whitworth University Archives and Special Collections
300 W. Hawthorne Road
Spokane, WA 99251
Telephone: 5097774481
archives@whitworth.edu
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research use.

Languages
English
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Historical Note

On March 17, 1878 nineteen persons and the Reverent Thomas Boyd founded the First Presbyterian Church in Waitsburg, Washington. In the summer following the establishment of the church, the congregation purchased the lot of W. P. Bruce for $115. The “Little Brown Church” was dedicated in 1886. In 1887 the Dime Society was organized by the women of the church. Dues were a dime a month which was also the charge for a plate at the church dinners! By 1894 there were 39 members. By 1901 finances were desperate and the congregation applied to the Home Missions Board for help. Times improved by 1905 with all financial obligations met. In 1911 a building next door was purchased for the manse, which served for 57 years. In 1924 an architect was employed to design a new sanctuary. It was dedicated on May 15, 1927.

The Great Depression of 1929 took its toll on the congregation, but by 1935 the economy improved for the church. It offered the Rev. Paul Cooks $900 plus the manse and pension. He came and the church was able to offer him a little more by the end of the year. In 1939 finances hit rock bottom. It was the first time that the congregation could not pay the minister’s salary. Again, however, things improved; the church didn’t close and endowment fund monies were replaced by 1959. World War II brought increasing demands to the congregation for benevolences. The first Memorial fund was established in 1950. In 1953, the Diamond Jubilee year, the economy was on the upswing. The church was able to purchase an electronic organ. In the ten year period since 1960 the annual budget increased from $7834 to $15,000. In 1978 the figure was $26,794. In 1964 the First Methodist Church in Waitsburg merged with the Presbyterian Church.

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Content Description

Section - Box; Introduction and Inventory - 1; History - 1; Administration - 1; Session - 1; Board of Trustees - 1; The Congregation - 1; Congregational Meetings and Annual Reports - 1; Organizations - 1,2; Worship: Sunday Bulletins (Sample) - 2

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

From the First Presbyterian Church (Waitsburg, Wash.) Records; located in the Whitworth University Archives; Spokane, Washington.

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Administrative Information

Custodial History

First Presbyterian Church; Box 397; Waitsburg, WA 99361; 509-337-6589

Acquisition Information

Acquired May 2002.

Related Materials

First Methodist Church (Waitsburg, Wash.) Records

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Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Missionaries
  • Northwest, Pacific
  • Presbyterian Church in the U. S. A.
  • Protestantism--History
  • Religion

Personal Names

  • Boyd, Thomas (Rev.)

Corporate Names

  • First Presbyterian Church (Waitsburg, Wash.)--Archives
  • Board of Home Missions

Geographical Names

  • Waitsburg (Wash.)

Form or Genre Terms

  • Church records and registers

Occupations

  • Clergy

Finding aid prepared by H. W. Johnston
2002

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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