LA PLATA COMMUNITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
La Plata Community Presbyterian Church History
On August 9th, 1874, nineteen years after La Plata became a town, thirteen devout Christians of the vicinity felt the need for a Presbyterian Church in which to worship their God. They met in the Baptist church to organizing a Cumberland Presbyterian Church, which became part of the Kirksville Presbytery. Rev. David Walker was their first minister.
The original founders were Mary. Gates (Hopewell congregation), Levi R. and Mary Kelso, Mary Saltmarsh, Eliza J. Moore, S. C. and Isabell Davidson (Shilo congregation near Love Lake), Robert T. Davidson (Greentop congregation) John and Rebecca Chapman (New Harmony Church), James H. and Rebecca Taylor (M. E. Church), and Dr. George N. Sharp.
The early services were held, with other churches, in the first schoolhouse on the east side of the cemetery. Later, the Presbyterians met the Baptist Church, Christian Church, or in a vacant hall in the James Sears building on the town square.
In 1876 Rev. W. H. Johnston became the minister, and plans began to raise money to construct a church. The original building was at the very same location as the current church, corner of N. Owensby and W. Bartlett. The first church was a rectangular building with straight lines, broken by the spire and belfry in which the bell swung. The entire cost, including the pump organ, was $1,861.20, with $17.50 left in the treasury. The building was completed and dedicated in 1880, serving the congregation for 44 years.
The original building for the La Plata Presbyterian Church.
The Church has had three names: Cumberland Presbyterian; then after the union of the Presbyterian U.S.A. and the Cumberland Presbyterian denominations in 1906, it was the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. In 1919, there was a union, locally, with the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and the name of the La Plata church become “Community Presbyterian Church” (CPC). Today the Community Presbyterian Church belongs to Missouri Union Presbytery and the denomination known as the Presbyterian Church (USA).
March 1922, an estimate of repairs and improvements to the old Church was in the neighborhood of $8,000.00. There were committees, meetings, and a canvas of the community which showed most people favored a new church. Suggestions were made to start soliciting for $40,000 for a new church building. At a Congregational Meeting on September 6, 1923, resolutions were read regarding authorization of the boards to enter into a contract with the architect. “The resolutions were by a standing vote unanimously adopted.” After nearly $30,000 had been subscribed, a contract was drawn up with John Scott and Sons of Memphis, Missouri. The old church building was purchased by the contractor for $1,000 and moved. The new structure was built with the cornerstone laid in 1924. Some of the expenditures were:
Contractors………………………………………………………...$33,483.50
Architect – Ludwig………………………………………………. 982.39
J. I. Mudd – Plumbing and Heating……………………...........3, 681.19
Art Glass……………………………………………………………..1,039.87
Seats………………………………………………………………….1,661.64
Light Fixtures………………………………………………………..448.18
Pipe Organ………………………………………………………......3,800.00
Labor, Wiring, Freight, Etc.
Total Cost……………………………………………………….......$48,385.00
The building was dedicated in 1925. The new church, of basic Italian Renaissance design, had a pipe organ and chimes. Early organists were Mrs. John Ayers and Miss Frances Willard Carter. In 1919, Eva Pash became the organist, a position she held until she moved out of town. In the early 1930s, Mrs. O. F. Lindley and Mrs. Rosena Berry played for worship. Eva became organist again in 1938, and served for 36 years until her daughter, Sara Beth Pash Fouch, became the Music Director and organist in 1965. In May, 2024, Sara Beth was recognized for 59 years of dedicated service. Shirley (Grear) Matticks served as assistant organist for many years.
After “Seventy-Five Years in His Service”, the congregation celebrated August 5 - 7, 1949. The congregation of about fifty members of the New Harmony Church located east of La Plata, was received into the La Plata Community Presbyterian Church in 1956. On August 11, 1974, the CPC held its centennial celebration with a weekend of events hosting more than seven hundred and fifty attendees. A pageant, “100 Years of Blessings” was written by Grace Hudson, widow of the former pastor Rev. Fred L. Hudson, and performed by members.