The First Christian Church Timeline
1871: 28 Charter members organized and made plans to build a church.
1871: 150 Members
1876: Berryville became the County Seat
1876: Berryville incorporated
1877: Subscriptions (also known as Pledges) for First Christian Church (from picture on wall in the church) was a total of $790 (this equates to about $18,000 in today’s dollars)
1878: September 24 lot purchased
J. W. Freeman was paid $10 dollars by J. C. Hanna and T. C. Freeman (brother of J. W. Freeman) for the land to build the church.
1879: Original church built
1880: Brother Henry & Rev. Birmingham
1880: Picture of the church
1885: Rev. H. R. Tanner
1897: Sanborn Map shows rectangular footprint with spire
1900: Rev. Wilcox
1904: Sanborn Map shows a rectangular footprint (August rendering)
1909: Sanborn Map Sanborn Map shows First Christian Church with its first notation (Heat: Stoves and Light: Gas)
1910: Population of Berryville – 785
1911: First Addition put on Church building (Reverends S.C. Shoup & A.B. Jett)
1911: Rev. Isaac Henry Burgess* from end of 1911 through 1918. He was a veteran of the Indian Wars and is buried in the Berryville Memorial Cemetery along with his first wife. He was also the pastor of the Winona Church as well as the Christian Church of Green Forest. He passed away at the age of 91
1912: Church property valued at $4,000. Membership 127
1914: Church property valued at $5,000. Membership 146
1914: Sanborn Map shows rectangular footprint with 35-foot spire and attached note: Heat: Stove; Lights: Electric; 16 inches to eaves; May addition
1914: Membership 146; Church valued at $5,000; Burgess still minister at half-time $480/year
1914: Picture of Sunday School group in front of old church (Mildred Fulton Jones looks to be about 10 years. She was born in 1907)
1917: June 30: membership 127 (Rev. J.A. Irwin)
1918: Rev. F.W. Lanehart New Church built over old
Membership 127 (1917) Membership 153 (1918)
1919: Rev. E.E. Davidson Membership 127 and church devalues to $4,000
1920: Rev. J. A. Irwin
1920: Population of Berryville 1,474
1921: Rev. George S. Yarborough
1922: Rev. Frank Davis (1922 – 1924)
1924: Rev. A.M. Barker* (1924 – 1926)
1926: Rev. Wilfred Harmon (1926 – 1929) January Sanborn Map showing additions to church with same footprint as today without the current additions. Notations: Heat – furnace; Lights – electric
1929: Rev. Frank Shane (1929 – 1930)
1932: Rev. Southward 1932
1933: Rev. Strong (1933 – 1935)
1935: Rev. J.H. Lynch (1935 – 1937)
1939: Rev. L.C. Foster (1939 – 1941)
1941: Rev. D.A. Williams* (1941 – 1944)
1942: Tornado hits Berryville
1944: Rev. R. M. Patrick (1944 – 1946) Bought First Parsonage for $3,500. It was located on Springfield Street
1946: Rev. Eugene Stiff* (1946 – 1947)
1947: Rev. Burl Candler. Church was incorporated as First Christian Church.
Membership 83
1947: Conditional Sales Agreement to sell property to the Berryville Telephone Company
1948: Rev. Delmar Poe* (1948 – 1955)
1949: At the end of the year the membership had risen to 152.
1949: Lot west of church was sold to the Berryville Telephone Company. Local news article said was 120’ x 40’
1949: Additions to church included 22’ x 34’ room; modern kitchen; ladies bathroom; 2 new classrooms; cry room; building rewired; and new asphalt shingled roof; sign installed in front lawn. Addition was dedicated February 1950 total cost $3,987.60
1950: Membership 152
1954: Article in the Star Progress was published in December 24 on Flora Freeman Hanna (known as “Mud” Hanna)
1955: Rev. Don Moore
1955: Rev. Ben Cleaver (1955 – 1956) Interim minister
1956: Rev. John Huntington (1956 – 1958)* Membership had soared to 180 active members
1958: Rev. Ben Cleaver (3 months) Interim minister
1959: Rev. Charles Kincaid* (1959 – 1961) Membership dropped to 148 in just 3 years
1960: New Parsonage built next (east) of church. It is a red brick ranch type building. A 75’ x 149’ lot was purchased. Old parsonage sold
1962: Rev. Nolan Pierce* (end 1961 – 1967)
1964: Membership 170
1966: In Board minutes of April 27th a proposed rebuild of the foyer at front of church
1966: In Board minutes of September 21st the total active and inactive membership was 174
1966: In Board minutes of December 21st there was a proposal to remodel Fellowship Hall and bathrooms and a remodel of the foyer at an estimated cost of $1,600
1967: FCC splits into two groups
1968: Rev. Mark Reid 1968 – 1970. Allied Telephone Company (formerly Berryville Telephone Company) gave the land and building back to the church. It has been used as a Memorial Chapel (dedicated in 1985), Sunday School rooms, youth room, a thrift shop, offices of the Carroll Literary Council and is currently being rented by Cruise The Ozarks publishing company. Officially named the FCC Annex and Education Building. Membership 175
1968: Lighted sign placed between the Annex and sidewalk for $260
1968: Active membership was 118 and inactive membership was 54
1970: Rev. Robert Y. Sanders (1970 – 1976) ordained in 1975
1971: Centennial Celebration
1971: 39 brass plaques ordered for the Memorial window located in the northwest corner of the sanctuary
1972: Stadium seating replaced with pews
1976: New double doors leading into sanctuary in memory of Everett Carr
1977: Rev. Charles Cody* (1977 – 1986) Memorial plates for the front doors.
Ref: Board minutes of July 6th
1978: Stained glass surrounding baptistery dedicated in memory of Bob Sanders
1983: Stained glass windows repaired and storm windows added for a cost of $900
1980: Beloved artist and pastor emeritus of First Presbyterian Church in Berryville, Hal Mallett generated a series of paintings featuring the First Christian Church in each of the year’s four seasons. These paintings hang in the church foyer for all to enjoy, and are the subject of greeting cards and note cards currently sold by the church
1985: Memorial Chapel officially dedicated
1986: A ramp on the back of the church, a 3rd bathroom, and entry room at the end of the ramp were added at a cost of $8,000.
1987: Rev. Charles Hammond* (1987 – 1990)
1990: Rev. Timothy Carlson* (1990 – 1994) Vinyl siding was added over the existing wooden clap-board.
1994: Rev. Don White (1994 – interim minister) Father of our current minister Rev. Dan White
1995: Rev. Charles Hammond (1995 – 2004)
1996: Membership 132
1997: Recovered pews in red and refinished wood per J & H Custom Furniture, Pinedale, AR
1999: Sanctuary wall removed in chancel
2000: Northeast addition added. This included two inside doors (of former Sunday school rooms) were reversed to open to the north. Choir room and bathroom added along with sink and shelves to prepare communion. Construction was done by Paul Mosblech.
2001: Repaired 16 stained glass windows per D&S-Stained Glass, Rogers, AR
2002: Membership 165
2003: Two new sofas and table for Narthex. Membership 140
2004: John Paul Eliott (2004 – 2007) Membership 154
2005: New black railings on back and slope of ramp and tile on porch at a cost of $1,188.50
Membership 156
2008: Rev.(s) John & Judy Turner (2008 – 2010) interim ministers Articles of Incorporation were proposed
2009: Remodeled Memorial Chapel also known as the church annex. Wall removed.
2009: Final draft of the Constitution and Bylaws
2009: Two boards were created. Administrative and Ministry
2010: Rev.(s) John & Judy Turner (2010 – 2012)
2013: Rev. Skip French (end of 2012 through 2018)
2016: Department of Arkansas Heritage denied eligibility to the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program.
2016: September 29 sold parsonage for $110,000
2018: Received resignation letter from Rev. Skip French
2019: Rev. Jay Hoyt (Interim Minister)
2020: Rev. Dan White
2021: 150th Birthday of our First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)