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A new room dedicated to highlighting the history of First Presbyterian Church in Albert Lea is now in place in the former narthex of the church after a year of hard work from two of the church’s members.

Julie Johnston and Sandy Maiden have been busy gathering the historical pieces and preparing them for presentation in the church. The women said the project is ongoing.

The church’s history dates back to September 1859 with regular meetings held for worship and Sunday school in a log schoolhouse by three Congregationalists and three Presbyterians. At first, this small group looked to the Congregational denomination for pastoral leadership, but they never installed a pastor. Nine years later, they reorganized as Presbyterian with 19 members.

This was largely through the efforts of a vacationing pastor, who encouraged one of his members, Mary Gelston, to contribute money so that a Presbyterian Church could be built on land already donated by Mary Armstrong and her son Clarence Wedge. It was dedicated in August 1869, and the first installed pastor was the Rev. Russell B. Abbott, who also organized and served as principal of the Albert Lea College for Women.

As the congregation continued to grow, they replaced the original church building with a larger structure, and that cornerstone was laid in August 1899.

That building was destroyed by fire in January 1929, after which the present building was made on the same foundation.

LeRoy Gaarder of Albert Lea was the church architect, and the present brick and stone structure was dedicated in 1931. In 1960, a Christian education wing was added, creating the present entry and narthex.

The old narthex, last used as an entry to the church in 1964, now includes a variety of historical artifacts, ranging from an old baptismal font, to pictures and paintings, the base of the bell from the original church, old pulpits, old Bibles, an old pew and other items.

On the sanctuary wall is the baptismal font from the old chapel, with a picture above it depicting an infant baptism from Bill Laumann’s mural found in Westminster Hall. On the other side is a framed poster of The Last Supper from the 1950s Sunday school curriculum.

On the library wall is a large picture covering 74 years of the church’s history, gifted to the congregation in 1943 by John E. Murtaugh and his wife. There is also a timeline of the church in 10-year increments.

A display cabinet created by Ellis Christenson showcases the congregation’s history, and next to the cabinet is a partial list of World War II servicemen and women from the church. It was found in the church’s attic and preserved for the church’s 150th anniversary in 2018.

On the outside wall are pews and cushions from the third church. The pews were purchased by members to cut down on the cost to replace the contents lost in the second church fire. Above the pews and windows are three pictures that denote a mother’s view of the life of Jesus Christ.

On the final wall is a copy of “The Presbyterian Visitors,” dated October 1893. This bulletin was published quarterly and was given out by the pastor on request.

The lectern from the chapel downstairs is also on display, along with what the women described as “The Gospel in Wood,” as recorded and transcribed from a conversation by the Rev. Roger Allen with Gaarder.

Also displayed are old church directories, and notebooks that tell of the church’s faith, programs, missions and how the church community changed. Another notebook describes church events and how they share the word of God with others from their 150th anniversary moving forward.

A large plaque given in memory of Abbott by his wife hangs on the wall, along with a painting of Abbott.

The women said preparing the space has been a labor of love, and they hope it will be a gift to the congregation. They have more they could display, such as the original blueprints that need to be digitized, but have presently run out of room.

The women thanked the people who helped make the project a reality, including the church’s property committee.

People who would like to view the room can do so with a self-guided tour at the church at 308 Water St.