First Congregational Church of Otto
Encyclopedia
First Congregational Church of Otto, now known as the Medora Ball Historical Museum, is a historic Congregational church
building located at Otto
in Cattaraugus County, New York
. It was built in 1861 and is in a vernacular Italianate
style. The building served as a hub of religious and social life in this rural community. An original steeple was removed in 1917 after being severely damage by a tornado
. The church underwent a major remodeling in 1925. The last regular church service was held in 1946. In 1969, the building was deeded to the Cattaraugus Area Historical Society and it was renamed in 1994 the Medora Ball Historical Museum, after the Otto town historian.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1999.
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
building located at Otto
Otto, New York
Otto is a town in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. The population was 831 at the 2000 census. The name comes from Jacob S. Otto, an agent of the Holland Land Company.The Town of Otto lies on the northern border of the county.- History :...
in Cattaraugus County, New York
Cattaraugus County, New York
Cattaraugus County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 80,317. The county seat is Little Valley.-History:...
. It was built in 1861 and is in a vernacular Italianate
Italianate architecture
The Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. In the Italianate style, the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and...
style. The building served as a hub of religious and social life in this rural community. An original steeple was removed in 1917 after being severely damage by a tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
. The church underwent a major remodeling in 1925. The last regular church service was held in 1946. In 1969, the building was deeded to the Cattaraugus Area Historical Society and it was renamed in 1994 the Medora Ball Historical Museum, after the Otto town historian.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1999.