First Presbyterian Church

Organized in 1837, the same year that Coldwater became a village, the local Presbyterian society held services in various quarters until 1844, when it erected its first church. It completed the present Romanesque Revival-style brick church in 1869 at a cost of $40,104. The 185-foot steeple, one of the highest in southern Michigan and the chief landmark of the city, was made possible by a gift from S. M. Seedy. The Meneely bell came from West Troy, New York, in 1853. In early times, the church often served as a lecture and concert hall. Sojourner Truth, former slave and early women's rights activist, spoke here in 1877.This church building is now the oldest in the city still in use by its original denomination. In 1986 it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.