First Congregational Church

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the First Congregational Church of Manistee was founded on July 20, 1862, with 10 charter members. This is the second church built for the congregation, as by 1887 they had already outgrown their first building. This church has a capacity of 1,000 and was built for an original cost of $60,000 with the design drawn up by famed Chicago architect, William Le Baron Jenney. The outside of the building is red brick and stone with terracotta trim. The red bricks were shipped in from across Lake Michigan by boat. The foundation stone came from Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. The roof is black slate. This magnificent Romanesque church is probably best known for its extravagant stained-glass windows, two of which were created by the studio of Louis Comfort Tiffany. Many of these beautiful, vibrant windows were given to the church in honor or in memory of Manistee lumber barons, shipping industrialists and locally known families of the late nineteenth century. The stately 132-foot clock tower holds the bell crafted by McNeely Bell Company of Troy, New York. The bell is approximately five and a half feet in diameter and weighs 3,200 pounds.