First Christian Church – Disciples of Christ
Founded by settlers from Kentucky in 1833, the First Christian Church – Disciples of Christ has occupied three buildings on the corner of 6th and Court Streets. The first, a small brick church, was erected in 1844 after Mr. and Mrs. I. O. Hockaday deeded the downtown lot to the congregation for $1.
By 1883, the congregation had outgrown its first home which was also in need of repair. A special evening meeting called by the pastor persuaded those present to support construction of a new church as they gazed at the starry night sky through holes in the roof.
Dedicated in 1884, the second building was one of several local churches designed by architect M. Fred Bell. It was in turn demolished in 1911 to make way for the current structure, dedicated in 1912. This time the congregation hired a firm from Dallas, Texas to design the building – a design which the firm reused in 1915 for a church in Fresno, California. After a visit to Fresno, the late Sally Williams reported that from the exterior, the churches appeared identical, down to their location on the southeast corner of an intersection! The California church has since been demolished, leaving Fulton with a unique example of neo-classical revival architecture popular in the early 20th century.