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Our Rich History: Protestant churches in Newport existed over the last 200-plus years — here’s a record


By David E. Schroeder
Special to NKyTribune

Part 48 of our series, “Resilience and Renaissance: Newport, Kentucky, 1795-2020.”

Dozens of Protestant churches have existed in Newport over the last two hundred plus years. Some only existed for a few years, others for a century or more. The following is a historical record of many of these congregations, organized chronologically by year of founding
.

First Baptist Chruch, Newport. Photo by Paul A. Tenkotte

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH

First Baptist Church has been a fixture in Newport for more than 200 years. In 1812, a small group of seven Baptists agreed to meet and form a small congregation. The group was admitted into the North Bend Baptist Association that same year. For many years, the congregation met in member’s homes or other available facilities. Eventually, the congregation disbanded.

It was not until 1840 that solid steps were taken to establish a Baptist congregation with a permanent building and clergy. That year, Baptists in the city reorganized under the name First Baptist Church of Newport. Reinvigorated, the members began raising funds for a church of their own. In 1844, a lot on the south side of Fourth Street was purchased from James Taylor, and by 1846, a basement church had been completed. Stability, however, was hard to come by, with thirteen pastors in twenty years. By 1849, the congregation counted eighty members.

Under the leadership of Pastor W.W. Tinker, the church traded their original building for a larger one owned by the Congregational Church, at the corner of York and Eighth Streets. This facility allowed the church to grow and to add new programs. In 1891, this frame building was moved to another part of town, and construction on a new First Baptist Church commenced. The new brick church was dedicated on February 14, 1892.

First Baptist Church experienced a steady increase, especially the Sunday School program which reached a membership of 730 by 1914. In 1924, the congregation began construction on an addition to the church which would house a new auditorium and additional classrooms. This was opened to the public in 1926.

Over the years, the congregation established mission churches in neighboring communities. These included the First Baptist Church of Bellevue, First Baptist Church of Ft. Thomas, and Calvary Baptist in Newport’s west end. Calvary eventually merged with a nearby congregation.

Like many other congregations, church membership began to decline in the post-World War II era. Despite these losses, the people continued to look to the future and were able to dedicate an additional classroom wing in 1959 costing $250,000. Declining membership was somewhat lessened by loyalty to the congregation. Many members who moved to the suburbs regularly returned to Newport each Sunday for services.

Newport First Baptist Church continues to serve the people of the community and beyond. Though smaller in numbers, the congregation has a strong spirit and a determination to serve.

ST. PAUL EPISCOPAL CHURCH

St. Paul Episcopal Church, Newport, Kentucky. Postcard courtesy of Paul A. Tenkotte.

The Episcopal Church made a foothold in Newport in 1844 with the founding of St. Paul’s. The church was admitted into the Episcopal Diocese of Kentucky in 1845. Little is known about their first house of worship, except that it had previously been a Methodist church. However, St. Paul’s current church has become a landmark. Located at Fourth and York Streets, just across the street from the Campbell County Courthouse, the church has become a physical and social center of the community. The current fieldstone, Gothic Revival church was designed by architect J.R. Neff and built in 1871, but was not occupied until four years later due to financial difficulties. he building contains a corner tower topped by a stone steeple, one of the few in the country. The interior features a wooden scissors truss ceiling and beautiful stained-glass windows.

Over the years, St. Paul Episcopal added a rectory and a parish center in 1928-1929. The congregation provided the community with quality daycare services through their St. Paul Episcopal Church Child Care Center beginning in the 1960s. It became an official United Way sponsored agency in 1984.

The 1937 flood filled the church basement with water from the Ohio River and did some structural damage to the complex. The flood waters also destroyed some of the congregation’s historical records.

The church’s Moeller pipe organ was installed in the sanctuary in 1952 and was completely rebuilt by the Schaedle Company in 1988.

Like other congregations in the urban core, St. Paul experienced declining membership. As a result, the church was given mission status by the diocese in 1980. By 2005, membership stood at 90 and was continuing to fall. The diocese made a commitment to reinvigorate the congregation and sent the Rev. Matthew Young to rebuild. Through his efforts, and those of the congregation, the parish has seen increased attendance and a renewed commitment to the Newport community.

ST. JOHN UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

1939 fire, St. John Evangelical (United Church of Christ), Newport, Kentucky. Photo courtesy of Paul A. Tenkotte.

The city of Newport grew extensively in the mid-1800s due to immigration, primarily from Germany. A group of these German immigrants established St. John Evangelical Church on April 26, 1847, with a membership of 31 families. The official title of the church at that time was the First German Protestant Evangelical Church. A constitution was approved that same year, and a building committee was appointed. The first church building was located on Dayton Street and was served by visiting ministers. The simple building measured 40 by 30 feet and cost $580 to build. The first resident pastor was the Rev. Frederick Boettcher, who arrived in Newport in 1848.

The congregation’s growth necessitated the need for a new worship space in the 1850s. Land was purchased at Seventh and Columbia Streets for the new structure. The cornerstone for the new brick edifice was set into place on May 30, 1858, and the structure was dedicated on January 30, 1859. Like many Protestant churches of the time, the first floor housed classrooms and a parsonage, and the second floor the sanctuary. A pipe organ was purchased and installed in 1860, and in the following year, a Sunday School program was organized.

Like the German Catholics of Newport, St. John Church also sponsored a parochial school in the 1860s and 1870s. In 1863, the school enrolled 200 students, 120 boys and 80 girls. Classes were taught in the German language. The school was discontinued in 1873.

The congregation underwent a difficult period during the pastorate of the Rev. Carl Ernest Clausen. In 1862, Clausen left St. John and eventually established rival St. Paul Evangelical Church on Eighth Street. A number of St. John’s members followed. In 1894, another split occurred when St. John’s pastor, the Rev. Gottlieb Brandstetttner, left the congregation and formed St. Mark German Lutheran Church, again decreasing St. John’s membership. Despite these struggles, the St. John congregation progressed.

St. Paul German Evangelical (United Church of Christ), Newport, Kentucky, was located at 24 East Eighth Street. Established in 1862, it broke off from St. John Evangelical Church. St. Paul was purchased by Kentucky Enterprise Federal Savings and Loan in 1956, and the congregation built a new church in Fort Thomas. Postcard courtesy of Paul A. Tenkotte.

In 1874, the congregation dropped the word German from their name, becoming known as the First Evangelical Protestant St. John’s Church of Newport. Also, at this time, they began to introduce English in worship services. The German language services, however, were not totally eliminated until 1933.

In 1888, a new parsonage was constructed and eight years later the sanctuary was remodeled with a new altar, pulpit, baptismal font and the addition of stained-glass windows. The church was rededicated on October 11, 1896. A Sunday School addition was completed in 1913.

In 1939, St. John Church suffered a significant fire. The steeple collapsed onto the roof and into the nave of the building. Damage was also done to the neighboring parsonage. The congregation met at the Newport High School and began planning for their future. A new site was purchased at the corner of Nelson Place and Park Avenue for a new building. Ground was broken in 1940 and a modern church was dedicated on July 26, 1941. An education building followed in the 1950s.

During the tenure of the Reverend Harold W. Barkhau (1933-1872), the congregation became involved in many community activities including the Campbell County Protestant Children’s Home. Barkhau was also active in local ministerial associations. In the 1960s, he was instrumental in Newport’s Committee of 500, established to eliminate organized crime in the city.

In 1957, the congregation officially affiliated with the United Church of Christ. By 1987, membership stood at 1,300.

SALEM UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Salem Methodist Church, Newport, Kentucky, circa 1910. Postcard courtesy of Paul A. Tenkotte.

In 1847, a group of German-American Methodists living in Newport began discussing the possibility of a congregation. Previous to this time, most were attending the Race Street German Methodist Church in Cincinnati. In 1848, the Rev. Peter B. Becker was given charge of the new congregation. It was the first German Methodist Church to be established in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The first church building was quickly constructed on Sixth Street. It was replaced in in 1854 by a brick building at the corner of Seventh and Orchard Streets.

In 1859, a mission congregation, known as Grace Church, was established and met in the Salem building. Eventually Grace Church built a new building of their own. Grace catered to the English-speaking Methodists of Newport.

Salem German Methodist Church grew quickly in the years following the Civil War. In 1881, a lot was purchased at the corner of Eighth and York Streets. On this property, a beautiful Gothic Revival church and parsonage were constructed. The cornerstone was laid on July 4, 1882, and the building dedicated on June 22, 1883. The new building contained classrooms on the first floor and a sanctuary on the second. A corner tower, topped by a 107-foot steeple and cross, made the new building a landmark in the community. Designed by Samuel Hannaford and Sons, the church was architecturally significant in the city and region.

English began to be used at Sunday evening worship services around 1906. The German language was not eliminated entirely until World War I when all classes and worship began to be conducted in English. In 1933, the Central German Conference of the Methodist Church was discontinued, and Salem Methodist became part of the Kentucky Conference. In 1940, the official name of the congregation was changed from Salem Kirche to Salem Methodist Church.

The church thrived, and in 1905 a new pipe organ was installed in the sanctuary. In 1933, a rear wing was added to the building to accommodate the growing Sunday school program. During the 1937 flood, the church was used as temporary housing by 130 African-American women and children over a period of seventeen days.

The post-World War II years were not kind to the congregation. Many members began leaving Newport for the suburbs. Salem made the decision to remain in Newport and to continue their work in the community. Despite slow but consistent decline, the congregation moved forward. By the mid-1980s, membership stood at only 47.

On March 11, 1986, a large storm swept through Northern Kentucky, doing considerable damage to many structures, especially churches. Salem Methodist was particularly hard hit. The steeple was damaged to such an extent that it had to be removed. The roof and foundations of the building were also damaged. The insurance carried on the building was not enough to cover the cost of repairs.

The members of Salem Church began discussions with Grace Methodist to combine the two Newport congregations. This was accomplished at the Grace Church facilities. Salem Church was eventually sold to the Footlighters Group, a Cincinnati theater troop. The old Salem Church was repaired by the new owners and renamed the Stained-Glass Theater.

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

First Presbyterian Church, Newport, Kentucky. Postcard courtesy of Paul A. Tenkotte.

In the early years of the American republic, Presbyterianism largely adhered to the theology of Calvinism, which embraced the idea of predestination—literally that God had predestined whom was to be saved and whom was to be condemned. By the 1830s, however, the Presbyterian Church in the United States had divided officially along two lines, “Old School” and “New School.” Old School Presbyterians followed traditional Calvinistic principles of the faith. New School Presbyterians emerged out of the Second Great Awakening revivalism of the early 1800s, focusing on an individual’s choice to accept or reject God’s grace.

Presbyterianism can be traced in Newport back to October 6, 1848, when the Old School Presbyterian Church of Newport was dedicated. In 1851, a second church, named the New School Presbyterian Church, was established. A year later, this congregation changed its name to the Second Presbyterian church, and in 1859 built a sanctuary on Columbia Street. Another name change followed. The new church now became the Columbia Street Presbyterian Church.

In the meantime, the Old School Presbyterian Church was demolished by a storm in 1861. The members of this congregation approached the Columbia Street Presbyterian congregation with the idea of a merger. Eventually the two congregations became one.

Forty members of the Columbia Street Presbyterian Church left the congregation in 1870 to form a new Second Presbyterian Church. By 1877, Second Presbyterian voted to join the Congregational Church, leaving Columbia Street as the sole Presbyterian congregation in Newport. Columbia Street changed its name again in 1888 to First Presbyterian Church of Newport and began planning for a new building.

The old church was sold to the Corinthian Baptist congregation and a new First Presbyterian Church was constructed in 1893-1894 at 625 Overton Street. The congregation later purchased a Koehnken and Grimm pipe organ, one of the finest instruments in the city.

The congregation existed until 1985 when it was closed due to declining attendance. Eventually, in 1990, the property was sold to a developer who renovated it into two condominiums. Much of the original character of the building, including the pipe organ and stained glass, were left intact.

GRACE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Grace Methodist Church, 6th St., Newport, before loss of its spire; Courtesy of Paul A. Tenkotte, Ph.D.

In 1859, Grace Church originated as a mission of Salem German Methodist Church to meet the needs of the English-speaking Methodist population of Newport. Initially, the congregation met in the old Salem Church building. By 1861, they had built a small frame church on Eighth Street. The congregation had overextended themselves and lost the building a few years later. In 1866, a new location was found on Sixth Street. On this site, a new Grace Methodist Episcopal Church was dedicated on December 2, 1866. The building contained a pipe organ and ten stained-glass windows. Henry Tinsely designed the structure.

The July 7, 1915 tornado did considerable damage to many buildings across Northern Kentucky, especially church steeples. Grace Church was one of those. The steeple was so badly damaged that it had to be removed. A decision was made at that time not to replace it.

Like most of Newport’s churches, Grace began losing members following World War II. Despite the additional members from a merger with nearby Salem Methodist Church, the congregation could no longer meet its financial obligations. In 2001, Grace Church, Southgate United Methodist and Tower United Methodist in Bellevue merged to form New Hope United Methodist in Southgate.

CORINTHIAN BAPTIST CHURCH

In 1869, a group of African Americans living in the city of Newport gathered together to establish a congregation. Initially, they took the name of Zion Baptist. In July 1869, they purchased a house as a temporary place of worship. In 1872, they adopted the name, Corinthian Baptist. A new home was found in 1873 on Roberts Street. Another move occurred in 1882 when the congregation purchased the old German Baptist Church at the corner of Columbia and Jefferson (6th St.) Streets.

In 1892, the Wiedemann Brewery purchased the congregation’s building. The church was again relocated, this time to the old First Presbyterian Church on Columbia Street.

Like many churches and other structures in Newport, Corinthian Baptist was heavily damaged by the 1937 flood. The congregation rallied and, in time, restored the structure. In 1956, the Newport Independent School district used eminent domain to force the sale of the church building. The congregation filed suit to maintain their building, but ultimately lost. The church moved again, this time to the corner of Seventh and Saratoga Streets. The current building was dedicated on April 2, 1958.

CENTRAL CHRISTIAN CHURCH

Central Christian Church, Newport, Kentucky, circa 1909. Postcard courtesy of Paul A. Tenkotte.

In 1871, members of various Christian Churches in Cincinnati and Covington decided to establish a congregation in the city of Newport. It was officially organized on April 21, 1872, with 43 charter members. The congregation took the name of the First Christian Church. On October 19, 1879, the new First Christian Church, which had previously been meeting in makeshift quarters, dedicated their new church building on Fifth Street.

In the meantime, a second Christian Church was organized in Newport in 1895 under the name of the Washington Christian Church. This congregation built a new building at Sixth and Monroe Streets, which was dedicated on October 3, 1897. At that time, the congregation took the name Central Christian Church.

During the early 1900s, members of the First Christian and Central Christian Churches began discussing the possibility of a merger. This was accomplished in 1903 at the site of the Central Christian Church building.

Central Christian Church received much notoriety and front-page press during the 1920s due to its crusading minister, the Rev. John Newton Cloe. Cloe arrived in Newport in 1921 and was appalled by the organized crime and gambling going on in the city. While many congregations in Newport had tolerated these conditions, Cloe did not. Rev. Cloe joined a group of other ministers to put pressure on the local police and other authorities to crack down on gambling in the city. Cloe had some success in his efforts, but ultimately came into disfavor by many when he became associated with the Ku Klux Klan in Campbell County. This association eventually led to his departure from Newport in 1923.

The church remained stable for decades and sponsored a very successful Sunday School and other activities in the community. Population declines in Newport resulted in the closure of the church in 1988.

YORK STREET CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH

On November 5, 1877, the members of the Westminster Presbyterian Church made a momentous decision. Meeting in their lecture room, a majority of the members voted to leave the Presbyterian Church and join the Congregational Church. This simple vote marked the beginning of York Street Congregational Church. On November 12, 1877, sixty-two members signed the official document.

The congregation built a new church edifice in 1884. Membership did not grow quickly, and the church received financial aid from the Congregation Home Missionary Society from 1877 until 1908. A Sunday School classroom was added to the facilities in 1887 and a parsonage in 1895. The debt on the congregation’s property was erased in 1918. By 1923, York Street Congregational Church had a membership of 192 active participants.

A new organ was placed in the church in 1924, and the Sunday School classrooms were remodeled. Despite the Great Depression, the sanctuary and parsonage were redecorated and new furnaces installed. In 1947, all new chancel furnishings were purchased for the sanctuary and new pews installed.
Declining membership eventually resulted in the closing of this once-thriving congregation in 1993.

ST. MARK LUTHERAN CHURCH

St. Mark Lutheran Church, Newport, Kentucky, circa 1913. Postcard courtesy of Paul A. Tenkotte.

St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church began as a separation from St. John Evangelical Church in 1894. Almost all of the initial families had previously been members of St. John. Originally, the congregation was known as the Independent Martini Evangelical Protestant Church. Land was purchased at the corner of Eighth and Monroe Streets for the site of the church. Architect John Bandermann was selected to design the new structure. The new building opened in 1897, with classrooms on the first floor and the sanctuary on the second. That same year, the congregation was admitted to the Miami Synod of the Lutheran Church. At that time, the name was changed to St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church.

The church’s finances were not strong in the early years, and by 1903, financial collapse was on the horizon. Eventually, the courts ordered the property sold to pay the debt. Only the generous donations of some of the congregation stopped the sale. In 1908, the congregation defaulted on a $2,000 loan to parishioner Charles Wiedemann. This time, neighboring churches came to the aid of the congregation.

By the 1920s, the congregation‘s financial condition had greatly improved. The debt was paid, a parsonage was purchased, and a new Sunday School addition completed in 1927. The congregation celebrated their fiftieth anniversary in 1947 with a remodeled kitchen and a newly decorated sanctuary.

The 1950s and 1960s saw dramatic changes at St. Mark. Membership declined as more and more members moved to the suburbs. This slow decline continued and by 1997, membership had shrunk to 40.

In 2005, Bob Young was appointed to lead St. Mark Lutheran Church in an attempt to build up the congregation. Coincidentally, his son, the Rev. Matthew Young, had been sent to nearby St. Paul Episcopal Church, to do the same. Mr. Young, a lay parish minister, typically saw about 25 members each Sunday. Despite his efforts, the congregation stopped meeting in the church in 2014. They donated their remaining funds to local charities. Eventually the Movement Church, which had been meeting at Woodfill Elementary School in Ft. Thomas, leased the old St. Mark Church as their place of worship. The building is currently the Sanctuary Event Center and Wedding Chapel.

ST. PAUL AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH

The roots of St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal church can be traced back to 1880. That year, a group of African Americans acquired the old Lutheran Church at the corner of Eighth and Mayo (7th St.) Streets for a church of their own. In 1884, the Rev. H.G. Jenkins organized a Sunday School. At this same time, funds began to be collected for the construction of a more permanent house of worship.

In 1905, the congregation purchased the old Corpus Christi Catholic Church for their new home. The building provided more space for the expansion of membership and activities. At that time, the congregation was known as Tanner’s Chapel. Sometime in the early 1900’s, the name was officially changed to St. Paul A.M.E.

The congregation remained in the old Corpus Christi Church until 1923 when it had moved to West Seventh Street. In 1963, the Rev. Edgar L. Mack was appointed pastor of the congregation. Rev. Mack was very active in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and participated in the 1964 March on Frankfort.

The congregation began losing membership and despite their best efforts, could no longer finance the salary of a pastor and the upkeep of the building. The church was closed in the late 1980s, and the building was demolished.

NEWPORT UNITED BRETHREN CHURCH

The United Brethren Church had its roots in the Great Awakening of the late eighteenth century. The founders were William Otterbein, a German Reformed minister, and Martin Boehm, a Mennonite preacher. A confession of faith was approved in the late 1700s and a constitution adopted in 1841.

In 1894, a group of non-denominational Protestants began to gather together on Sundays.The group wanted a more formal arrangement and decided to organize a United Brethren Church in the city. Permission was granted in August of that same year. The group grew steadily and by 1895 had an active Sunday School. That same year, they began looking for a more permanent church facility. A two-story frame structure was acquired at Ninth and Ann Streets. The first floor was used for services and the second for the pastor’s living quarters.

In July 1899, ground was broken on the original site and the new church was dedicated on November 25, 1900. The castle-like structure included two towers, each topped with battlements. The larger of the two towers contained the main entry. The ground floor housed classrooms and the upper floor the worship space.

The congregation existed for many years and included a church choir, Men’s Club, Missionary Society, Dorcus Class, Ladies Aid Society and the Otterbein Girl’s Guild. By 1938, the Sunday school had an enrollment of 240, with thirty teachers.

In 1946 the congregation changed its name to the Evangelical United Brethren Church. This denomination merged with the Methodist church in 1968 to form the United Methodist Church.

FIRST CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE

In 1904, a group of Newport residents interested in the Holiness movement organized into a congregation. Initially, they met in the United Brethren Church building. On March 31, 1909, the congregation became part of the Church of Nazarene denomination with 18 charter members. The first pastor was the Rev. R.D. Bevin.

In 1910, the congregation built a small tabernacle on West Sixth Street. However, this property had to be given up due to financial difficulties. For the next twelve years, the congregation moved from location to location. Finally, in 1922, a frame tabernacle was built at the corner of Seventh and Putnam Streets. The building was enlarged three years later.

Construction on a new brick building began in 1927. This building, designed by the Sunday School Superintendent J.M. Wilson, was dedicated in May 1928.

By the late 1940s, the congregation purchased a lot on York Street as a site for a new facility. This new brick building was dedicated on May 28, 1950. The sanctuary contained seating for 550, classrooms, a prayer chapel and eight beautiful stained-glass windows. The beige brick building contains some interesting modern elements that are distinctive to Newport churches.

In 1963, the congregation purchased a building to the south of the main structure as a site for a new education annex. This building included office space, a library, fellowship hall, a kitchen, day care, and additional classrooms. The annex was dedicated on 1965.

The congregation continued to flourish and in 1979, their entire plant was remodeled. The First Church of the Nazarene continues to fulfill its mission in Newport to this day. It celebrated its centennial in 2004.

David E. Schroeder is Director of the Kenton County Public Library. He is the author of Life Along the Ohio: A Sesquicentennial History of Ludlow, Kentucky (2014), coeditor of Gateway City: Covington, Kentucky, 1815-2015 (2015), and coauthor of Lost Northern Kentucky (2018).

We want to learn more about the history of your business, church, school, or organization in our region (Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and along the Ohio River). If you would like to share your rich history with others, please contact the editor of “Our Rich History,” Paul A. Tenkotte, at tenkottep@nku.edu. Paul A. Tenkotte, PhD is Professor of History at Northern Kentucky University (NKU) and the author of many books and articles.

For further information, see:

First Baptist Church:
History, First Baptist Church, Newport, Kentucky, 1812-1987. Newport, KY: Privately printed by the Congregation, 1987; Donald E. Grosenbach, “First Baptist Church, Newport,” in Tenkotte, Paul A., and James C. Claypool, eds. The Encyclopedia of Northern Kentucky. Lexington, KY: The University Press of Kentucky, 2009.

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church:
John West, “St. Paul’s Episcopal Church,” in Tenkotte, Paul A., and James C. Claypool, eds. The Encyclopedia of Northern Kentucky. Lexington, KY: The University Press of Kentucky, 2009: 793; National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, St. Paul Episcopal Church, Newport, Kentucky. (Survey of Historic Sites in Kentucky, 1979); Frances Keller Swinford and Rebecca Smith Lee, The Great Elm Tree: Heritage of the Episcopal Diocese of Lexington (Lexington, KY: Faith House Press, 1969).

St. John United Church of Christ:
Jim Reis, Pieces of the Past 2 (Covington, KY: Kentucky Post, 1991), pp. 117-120; Souvenir of the Ninetieth Anniversary Celebration of St. John’s Evangelical Protestant Church (Published by the Congregation, 1937.

Salem United Methodist Church:
Diamond Jubilee of Salem Methodist Episcopal Church, Newport, Kentucky (Published by the Congregation, 1923); National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, Salem Methodist Church, Newport, Kentucky. (Survey of Historic Sites in Kentucky, 1978-1979); Paul L. Whalen, “Salem United Methodist Church,” in Tenkotte, Paul A., and James C. Claypool, eds. The Encyclopedia of Northern Kentucky. Lexington, KY: The University Press of Kentucky, 2009: 798-799; Barbara Dixon, A Forgotten Heritage: The German Methodist Church. (Milford, Ohio: Little Miami Press, 2011), 47-49.

First Presbyterian Church:
Donald E. Grosenbach, “First Presbyterian Church, Newport,” in Tenkotte, Paul A., and James C. Claypool, eds. The Encyclopedia of Northern Kentucky. Lexington, KY: The University Press of Kentucky, 2009: 339; Janice Gallagher, “A Home Like No Other—Converted Church Comes Complete with Pipe Organ, Stained Glass Windows,” Kentucky Post, June 16, 2005, K6.

Grace United Methodist Church:
Jeanne Greiser, “Grace United Methodist Church,” in Tenkotte, Paul A., and James C. Claypool, eds. The Encyclopedia of Northern Kentucky. Lexington, KY: The University Press of Kentucky, 2009: 412; Rev. Howard Reynolds, comp., History, Grace Methodist Church, Newport, Kentucky. Privately printed by the Congregation, 1966.

Corinthian Baptist Church:
Theodore H. H. Harris, “Corinthian Baptist Church,” in Tenkotte, Paul A., and James C. Claypool, eds. The Encyclopedia of Northern Kentucky. Lexington, KY: The University Press of Kentucky, 2009: 226.

Central Christian Church:
Central Christian Church Centennial, 1871-1971. Published by the Congregation, 1971; Jim Reis, “Firebrand Minister Fought Vice in Newport,” and “Church Was a Fixture for More Than a Century,” Kentucky Post, January 7, 2002, 4K.

York Street Congregational Church:
York Street Congregational Church, 1877-1952. Published by the Congregation, 1952; “York Street Congregational United Church of Christ–Newport,” Campbell County Historical and Genealogical Society, accessed July 2020, http://www.usgenwebsites.org/KYCampbell/yorkhistory.htm .

St. Mark Lutheran Church:
Melinda G. Motley, “St. Mark Lutheran Church,” in Tenkotte, Paul A., and James C. Claypool, eds. The Encyclopedia of Northern Kentucky. Lexington, KY: The University Press of Kentucky, 2009: 789; Jim Reis, “100 years of prayer in Newport – St. Mark’s celebrates building’s centennial,” Kentucky Post, October 6, 1997, 4K; Henry G. Waltmann, ed., History of the Indiana-Kentucky Synod of the Lutheran Church in America (Indianapolis, IN: Central Publishing Co., 1971): 404-406.

St. Paul A.M.E. Church:
Theodore H. H. Harris, “St. Paul A.M.E. Church,” in Tenkotte, Paul A., and James C. Claypool, eds. The Encyclopedia of Northern Kentucky. Lexington, KY: The University Press of Kentucky, 2009: 791-792.

Newport United Brethren Church:
Yearbook and Directory: United Brethren Church, Newport, Kentucky. (Published by the Congregation, 1938).

First Church of the Nazarene:
100 Years, This is Our Story, First Church of the Nazarene, Newport, Kentucky. (Published by the Congregation, 1971); “First Church of the Nazarene,” Kentucky Post, July 21, 2005, K4.


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