was built during the autumn of 1881 and the first service for the new congregation was held on January 22, 1882. The Sunday School, which was also organized that day, counted 34 students. The charter members of the new congregation included: H. B. Martin, Mrs. A. S. Martin, Jane Rhodes, Bernhard Reilley, Catherine Reilley, Anna A. Reilley, Philip Garner, Susan Garner, Lucinda Garner (who later became Mrs. John Roth) and Laura B. Snyder. The small church was dedicated on April 30, 1882. Rev. G. W. Stelling, of Omaha, Nebraska, preached the sermon. Also assisting at the service were Rev. J. W. Goodlin, the secretary of the board of home missions, and Rev. S. D. Barnitz, the western secretary of the board. On April 1, 1891, Snyder ended his pastorate at St. Paul's to assume a charge at Council Bluffs, Iowa. The Rev. W. Henry Blancke accepted the call on June 24, 1891. The church building had become too small for the congregation, so a building committee and a finance committee were appointed and plans were developed for a new church. On May 4, 1902, the new sanctuary was dedicated. The new building, organ, and furnishings cost $26,000. Rev. E. F. Bartholomew, from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, preached the dedication sermon in the morning and Rev. J. A. Wirt, of Des Moines, preached the evening sermon. Blancke also served as president of the Civic Federation of Davenport during his pastorate. They employed legal extremes to fight vice and liquor. His continued leadership led to threats against himself, the congregation, and the church building. Membership suffered and fell to 100 in 1916 and the Sunday School had its lowest enrollment. After Blanke's pastorate ended the congregation grew spiritually, financially, and numerically. Historic church building Architecturally, the original 1881 church was a Gothic Revival structure. It featured a simple rectangular form with a steep pitched front-gabled roof, buttresses, and a large pointed-arch window on the main façade. The 1902 structure, which was attached to the older structure, was also designed in the Gothic Revival style. It featured a cross-gabled plan with towers tucked into the corners. The asymmetrical massing and the compactness of the structure emphasized the strong verticality of the structure. The rather plain brick exterior was punctuated with gothic-arched windows that were enhanced with narrow hood molds. An addition to the building was constructed in 1919. Later history By