Ramsey County History – Winter 2017: “Peoples Church, the Reverend Samuel G. Smith, and St. Paul”

Peoples Church, the Reverend Samuel G. Smith, and St. Paul
Author: Philip J. Ramstad

Peoples Church was founded in St. Paul in 1888 by a group of Methodist men and women who wanted to keep their minister, Rev. Dr. Samuel G. Smith, when the Methodist hierarchy wanted him to move to a different church in another city. Defying the strictures of ecclesiastical polity, Smith and the church broke away and became an independent congregation led by a thoughtful and inspiring leader. Under Smith, Peoples Church thrived and grew while espousing a doctrine of primitive simplicity, great truths, and working to ameliorate the problems of the city. Then in 1915, Smith died suddenly. The church was never the same under his successors. In 1939, Peoples Church merged with the Highland Park Community Congregational Church, and its worship services were held in the Highland Park building. A fire in 1940 destroyed the former Peoples Church building, which was a massive structure, and today Interstate 35E covers that site.
PDF of Ramstad article