This is the oldest Mennonite Brethren church building in the United States. Built in 1893, it was the first classroom of Tabor College, a Mennonite Brethren liberal arts college.
The Mennonite Brethren Church is one of several distinct denominational families within the larger Mennonite/Anabaptist faith tradition. It was organized in russia following a spiritual revival among Mennonite villages in 1860.
As a landmark, the Historic Mennonite Brethren Church serves as atypical example of the one-room meetinghouses scattered across the prairies at the turn of the century. with its elegant simplicity, its plainess and its white exterior, it brings to mind the westward expansion of the Christian church across the prairies. It featured a roman arched ceiling aswell as Roman arched windows. The first permanent pump organ was added in 1906. During its move from a farmstead southwest of Hillsboro, much care was taken to remain faithful to the old structure, particularly on the main floor and balcony. Step inside the quiet, inviting sanctuary for a reflective moment or two.
Directly to the east of the Historic Church lies the Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church Cemetery, where many of the original church members were laid to rest.