Sweet Springs Missouri First Christian Church

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At 400 Bridge Street, in the town now known as Sweet Springs, Missouri, you will find the First Christian Church; a historic church that has served the local community for about 180 years. There are a couple of things that are not as they once were. The town of Sweet Springs was originally called Brownsville and the Christian Church, which is currently located on Bridge Street is a replacement of the original structure that was destroyed by a devastating tornado in 1882.

Brownsville, Missouri, which was established in 1838, changed its name to Sweet Springs in 1887 to reflect the growing interest in the town as a relaxing destination to its nearby healthful spring waters. These waters were said to be a cure for a variety of ailments. Brownsville struggled a bit economically until, in the early 1870s, the town experienced a population boom due in part to the establishment of a railroad through the town.

The First Christian church pre-dated the railroad boom and was orginally built in 1843 and in 1854 a wood-framed building was constructed. The church served the local community until an April 18, 1882, tornado destroyed it. This was a horrific event for the town because in addition to the destruction of a number of buildings, at least 10 community members were killed when the tornado hit the town. Fortunately, church members stepped forward and raised money in a positive economic climate between 1882-1883 and built a new church.

Alexander Proctor, minister of the Independence Missouri Christian Church, dedicated the new church in April of 1883. The current building faces east towards Bridge Street and measures 45' along the east (front) and west (rear) sides and 60' along the north and south walls. The church is a single-story frame building with a white exterior composed of weatherboard siding. It is unique in its architecture with Queen Anne style overlapping shingles, decorative brackets under the eaves, stained glass lancet windows, and the unusual use of the keystone decoration at the point of the arch of the windows. The church also has an attached two story bell tower. The First Christian Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.