First Presbyterian Church

The Reverend Hiram L. Miller and twelve others founded this church, the first in the Saginaw Valley, on March 1, 1838. They first worshiped at a carpentry shop on the corner of Michigan Avenue and Ames Street. The congregation erected a white clapboard church on this site in 1852, the first permanent religious building in the Valley. On November 10, 1883, the cornerstone for the present sanctuary, designed by local architect Fred W. Hollister, was laid. The completed building was dedicated November 22, 1885. There have been several additions and restorations since then. A 750-pound bell, a gift to the original church from area citizens, hangs in the present structure.