GENEVA, Neb. (KOLN) – The First Congregational United Church of Christ is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, just in time for its 100th anniversary. This accomplishment was made possible by volunteers who started researching its history in 2023.
The current building was established because of a demand made by the women of the congregation in 1925.
“[The women] told [the men] they were tired of doing all of the food preparation in the parsonage, and so the men said, ‘Well what do you want?’” said Gail Chapman, a volunteer. “And the women said, ‘We want a new kitchen. We want a new church.’”
Community members moved the original wooden church, built in 1887, to the Fillmore County Fairgrounds. There, the women sold meals to raise money for the new $56,000 building.
Prominent architect Eugene Groves came from Colorado to design the building.
“My great-grandfather was actually, I think, the secretary of the church when it was established,” said Diane Heath, a church member.
Heath and her sister Karen Kohler are fourth-generation members of the church. Kohler leads some of the music activities.
The organ is from Lawrence, Kansas, and it’s as old as the building.
“It was hauled from the train station. Five men took them four hours, 40 cents each,” said Karen Kohler, the choir director.
At the front of the sanctuary, the original stained-glass window was donated by the women of the church for $4,000. The windows on the side were painted with help from a student who learned from Louis Tiffany.
“I love the architecture. I remember my family grew up here, and you know I’ve just had lots of milestones in this church, so lots of stories,” Chapman said.
Chapman said research into the church’s history revealed its ties to World War II.
“We found out the Fairmont Air Base is a few miles away and how much our church devoted to those servicemen during the war,” Chapman said. “And we would bring them to church. We gave them dinner. We sent them over to the theater to watch a movie.”
This moment in history lists just a few of the ways the congregation gives back to the community of Geneva. And its recent designation on the register gives church members a sense of pride.
“I knew I wasn’t going to quit until we got it done. That’s how much I feel that it needed to be done for this church and for this community,” Chapman said.
Click here to subscribe to our 10/11 NOW daily digest and breaking news alerts delivered straight to your email inbox.
Copyright 2026 KOLN. All rights reserved.