An historical sketch of the First Hillsboro Baptist Church

The story opens in the summer of 1763, when six German families left Pennsylvania aboard a modest sloop and landed on the banks of what would become Hillsboro. Led by Hendrick Steeves and his wife Rachel, the newcomers built a log house, cleared forested fields, and survived their first brutal winter with turnips, fish, and relentless hope. Their isolation deepened as the promised supply vessel never returned, forcing the settlers to rely on sheer determination and each other to endure another harsh season.

Against this backdrop of hardship, the fledgling community found spiritual sustenance in the voice of Henry Steeves, the sixth Steeves son, who began preaching around 1795. His German‑language sermons gathered listeners from the surrounding farms, planting the seeds of what would become the First Hillsboro Baptist Church. The narrative follows how a simple worship space grew, changed hands, and eventually gave rise to the striking edifice that still crowns the hill today, embodying the perseverance and faith of those early pioneers.