Ever since the United States had gained its independence from Great Britain in the American Revolution, its leaders were interested in extending its boundaries, making the Louisiana Territory a part of the U.S.

Acquisition of this huge area of land, from the Mississippi River to the Colorado Rockies and stretching from Canada to the mouth of the Mississippi River, would provide more land for a growing population.

In Europe, Napoleon Bonaparte of France, needing more money to renew his war against Great Britain, offered to sell the Louisiana Territory to the U.S. for fifteen million dollars.  In accepting Napoleon's offer, Thomas Jefferson's Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the U.S. and opened doors of opportunity to courageous pioneers.  The rivers played an important part in transportation, and trading posts were built along these rivers.  Settlers began to move westward and they brought their faith with them.  To these pioneer Baptists belong the honor of organizing and maintaining the first religious organization, other than Catholic,  west of the Mississippi.  The first Protestant Church in Missouri was the Bethel Baptist Church, near Jackson in Cape Girardeau County, organized in 1806.  

In 1821, the State of Missouri was admitted to the Union.  

The first actual settlement in what is now Livingston County was made by Samuel E. Todd in 1831.  He built his log cabin in a beautiful elm grove a little more than a mile west of Utica.  All this territory was then a part of Carroll County.  This first settler was, according to tradition, a Baptist.  A portion of Chief White Cloud's band of Iowa Indians were his nearest neighbors, having a temporary village not too many miles away.  His nearest white neighbors settled in the lower Carroll and Chariton Counties.  

Other settlers arrived, and by 1836 more than 200 families had settled in every part of the county.  On June 6, 1837, Governor Dunklin approved an act of the Legislature creating the County of Livingston.  On August 7 of the same year, the County Court laid out the county seat into lots and named it Chillicothe, after Chillicothe, Ohio.  The 1840 county census listed 4,082 whites and 241 Negroes, mostly from Kentucky and Virginia.

The first courthouse was built of logs and was completed in 1838 at a total cost of $50.00.  It was located at 808 Walnut Street, just north of the present Lutheran Church.

The second courthouse was built in the public square in 1841 at a cost of $5,000.  This building was of red brick, and two stories high.  As there were, at that time, no schools or churches in Chillicothe, one of the rooms of the courthouse was used for public meetings of all kinds.

On December 29, 1857, the Chillicothe Baptist Church, through its trustees, Jacob L. Myers, James Anderson, and George R. Hutchison purchased from Elizabeth Holcomb Lot 2, Block 34 for $100.00.  On this lot, the First Baptist Church in Chillicothe was completed in 1858.  It was a splendid brick building and  cost considerable money, some of which was borrowed from the Livingston County School Fund.

CIVIL WAR PERIOD

The trying days of the Civil War came upon the church and brought division within the body.  The dissenting faction, composed of Southern sympathizers, took up quarters on the site of the church at the corner of Vine and Clay Streets.  

The Vine Street Church was organized during the Civil War by about a dozen Southern sympathizers withdrawing from the First Church.  They met in a building at the corner of Clay and Vine, and at first were known as the Second Baptist Church.  But soon after in 1869 the Baptists were able to overcome this Civil War dissension and brought together two committees  to bring about a union of the two churches. 

The committees did a great work, for they submitted a plan of union that was approved by both churches.  Following this procedure the First Church disposed of the property and granted letters to all its members.  The Vine Street Church reorganized as the First Baptist Church of Chillicothe.  On Wednesday evening, November 3, 1869, the members of the Elm Street Church, led by their Pastor, Rev. G.W. Rodgers, marched in body to the Vine Street Church and presented their letters for membership. 

This was a great day for the Baptists of Chillicothe for after the consolidation of the church, they had a membership of almost one hundred.  The first business meeting of the consolidated church was held on Friday evening, November 5, 1869.  At this meeting the church approved the Constitution and Bylaws and elected church officers for the ensuing year.  

Two years later, in 1871, under the leadership of their new Pastor, Rev. L.M. Berry, the church held a revival with Elder Randall doing the preaching.  There were 110 baptisms.  The church actually doubled itself in membership!

EDUCATIONAL ANNEX

In compliance to a longstanding demand for better Sunday School quarters, and looking forward to the Centennial year, the Board of Deacons recommended to the August 1943 business meeting that the church purchase the D.G. Johnson property, across Clay Street, south from the church.  An annex committee was appointed to investigate and report back to the church.  

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The annex committee, with J.D. Rice as chairman, turned the ten-room residence into  a splendid educational annex.  It was formally opened on the second Sunday in November.

A TIME TO BUILD UP

On November 18, 1963, a committee was elected for the purpose of planning a new church facility.

On June 23, 1965, a lot at the corner of Bryan and Edgewood Drive was purchased for the new building.  The formal ground breaking ceremony for the new sanctuary and education building of the First Baptist Church was held on Sunday, March 6, 1967.

Construction was finished and the church moved into its new building the first week of March, 1968.  Dedication services were held March 17, 1968, with more that 800 people in attendance.

PASTORS 1844-2001

A history of Livingston County, published in 1886, states that early records of the church were lost.  A number of the church records were destroyed at the time of the burning of the Chillicothe Foundry in April, 1910.  

The importance of the preservation of church records is evident as an authenticated list of the men who have served the church as pastors is not possible, nor their years of service.  In the list below, it is entirely possible that some of the early pastors* are omitted, and it is also probable that they do not appear in the order in which they served.

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Source:  First Baptist Church Chillicothe Missouri, A Sesquicentennial History 1844-1994