| Additional Information: | Rising from a fieldstone foundation, this 1904 church building is largely front-gabled in form and includes a circa-1930s, Tudor Revival-inspired, projecting gabled entry along its east entrance elevation, all of which is clad in narrow vinyl. A later concrete-block basement addition is visible at the building’s rear, southwest corner. The entry is comprised of a pair of paneled steel doors that rest beneath a fanlight window, along with a single lantern fixture. A pair of six-over-one-light, double-hung sash occupies both the north and south walls of the entrance projection, while a gabled wall dormer rises along the remainder of the south elevation. Rising from the original gabled block of the church is a six-sided, enclosed belltower that is topped with a flared roof above which is a cross. The east-facing, gabled elevation carries three, symmetrically arranged, tall-and-narrow, double-hung sash windows above which is a Gothic-inspired window opening with tracery and what appear to be replacement glass. Two additional sash windows are located along the north elevation, adjacent to a secondary entrance.
A historic image of the church indicates that the church originally had a simple porch entry with columnar supports and a low spindled railing prior to the construction of the Tudor-inspired entry. Original sheathing largely consisted of narrow clapboard, while the gabled peak was covered with wooden shingles. The belltower was also originally open with arches, while all windows, which originally had diamond-pane sash, have been replaced. The side entrance to the north was originally a single window, rather than a door.
This church was built in 1904 as the First Presbyterian Church, five years after the first sermon in Laona was given by Mr. S.A. Martin. The stone used for the basement was reportedly hauled by train from Laona Junction and the church built with all volunteer labor. Although built in 1904, its dedication did not occur until 6 August 1906. A parsonage was built to the north of the church in 1916 (see 5269 Linden Street below). Today the congregation is known as the Forest County Larger Presbyterian Church following the merger of the three First Presbyterian Churches of Laona, Lakewood, and Wabeno.
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| Bibliographic References: | First Presbyterian Church, Postcard image, undated, Image available online at www.LaonaHistory.com, Accessed April 2022; Sanborn Map Company, Sanborn Fire Insurance Map of Laona, Wis. (New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1930).
“The new Presbyterian Church at Laona is now completed and is a credit to the town,” in “Our Sister Villages,” Forest Republican (Crandon, WI), 8 December 1904, 1; Youth Community Conservation Improvement Program, Memories of Forest Co. (Wisconsin: NEWCAP, Inc., 1980), 126, Digitized copy available online at https://content.wisconsinhistory.org/ digital/collection/wch/id/66416/rec/1, Accessed October 2023. |
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