First Presbyterian Church - Local History

I attended First Presbyterian on Sunday (4/10). Since I wrote about their pastor last time, I will write about their local history this time. The church first met at Derby's Hall, on Main Street (now Petaluma Blvd. N.) and Washington on July 22, 1883 where the Rev. J.S. McDonald gave the first sermon. Before long, the church built its original church building on 4th Street, near the Carnegie Library (now the Petaluma Historical Museum) - just to north of it.

By the 1960s, the church was ready for a new building, and began construction at its current location at 935 B Street. The new building was completed in 1963, and the old church building was demolished. The new church building had a very tall steeple. However, the tall steeple was plagued with problems from the beginning, and was replaced later with a shorter steeple. In the meantime, additional facilities were added so that the church now has a fellowship hall with a fireside room, a counseling center for Hope Counseling, a building for offices, and a building to house its Happy Day Presbyterian School (preschool). You can find out more about its history at this link.