Property Record
100 N POLK ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | German Methodist Episcopal Church |
|---|---|
| Other Name: | First Presbyterian Church |
| Contributing: | |
| Reference Number: | 21743 |
| Location (Address): | 100 N POLK ST |
|---|---|
| County: | Lincoln |
| City: | Merrill |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | |
| Range: | |
| Direction: | |
| Section: | |
| Quarter Section: | |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: |
| Year Built: | 1922 |
|---|---|
| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 2006 |
| Historic Use: | church |
| Architectural Style: | Late Gothic Revival |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
|---|---|
| National Register Listing Date: | |
| State Register Listing Date: |
| Additional Information: | The First Presbyterian Church is significant under Criterion C as a good example of English Gothic style church architecture in Merrill. Jenny's first Presbyterian congregation began on October 19, 1879. On May 6, 1881 members organized the First Presbyterian Church of Merrill. In the early 1880s the congregation purchased property on the corner of E. Third Street and Center Avenue for their new church and parsonage, on the east side of Merrill. On May 4, 1884, Presbyterians from the west side of Merrill organized the Second Presbyterian Church (not extant). The congregation built on the southeast corner of Cottage Street and W. Second Street a church that was destroyed by fire in December 1894, but the church was quickly rebuilt. However, in March 1917 Merrill's two Presbyterian churches planned to unite as the Presbyterian Church of Merrill. The congregations merged in 1922, when they built a centrally located structure on the northwest corner of Polk and E. First Street. A rift in the congregation led to the formation of the Community or Bible Presbyterian Church around 1936. This new congregation met at the American Legion Hall until sometime after 1947, when they built a church on the south side of E. First Street, between Logan and Blaine. |
|---|---|
| Bibliographic References: | A. Lincoln County Historys, 1947. B. Glilkey, Edna. Schools and Churches of Jenny and Merrill. Merrill, Wisconsin: Merrill Historical Society, 1982. TOMAHAWK LEADER 9/10/1996. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |