First Unitarian Church
T he First Unitarian Minister In St. Louis Was William Greenleaf Eliot. Having Just Graduated From Harvard Divinity School At The Age Of 23, Eliot Was Persuaded To Come To The Frontier Town Of St. Louis To Organize A Unitarian Church. William Greenleaf EliotWilliam Greenleaf EliotEliots Sense Of Duty And Commitment Was Strong. He Said ". . . If I Come, I Come To Remain, And To Lay My Ashes In The Valley Of The Mississippi." By Unflagging Religious Leadership And Community Service, He Helped Shape The History Of St. Louis In Ways That Endure To This Day. He Died Here In 1887. Eliot Founded The Church Of The Messiah, The First Unitarian Church West Of The Mississippi (And The Predecessor Of Our Church) In 1835. In 1868, A Second Unitarian Congregation, The Church Of The Unity, Was Founded With The Assistance Of Eliot And The Church Of The Messiah. These Two Churches Merged In 1938 To Form The First Unitarian Church Of St. Louis. With Members Of His Congregation, Eliot F...