A BRIEF HISTORY OF
THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH OF
VACAVILLE
The
Christian Church of Vacaville was established on October 4,
1854
and we are
celebrating our 154th year in Vacaville.
Pictured below is
our original Church as it looked in the 1860's, inserted in a photograph
of the original site adjoining Eleanor Nelson Park as the site looks
today. This site called "Oiler's Grove" in those days, was located between
Vacaville and Elmira (Vaca Station), which at that time was the larger of
the two towns. Alamo Creek still ran through the site when the
Church was located there and many members were Baptized in it
waters.
By 1872 the Town of
Vacaville had grown to about 400 people and Elmira had about 500
people. A new church was built in Elmira and this Church building
was moved into Vacaville. The 40 by 60 foot building was placed on
log rollers and pulled by horses into town, it was placed on a lot
on Catherine Street where Opportunity House is located
today.
There were now two
other churches in town, the Presbyterians on Depot Street and the
Methodists on School Street. By 1883, we were joined on Catherine
Street by a Catholic Mission which would one day become St. Mary Church
and the Seventh Day Adventists who were meeting in the Methodist Church on
Saturdays.
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