First Presbyterian Church, built in 1858 and disbanded in 1898 (burned on March 14, 1908)

The First Presbyterian Church of Byron was organized by the Reverend Seth Hardy, June 24, 1845 at which time the following named persons presented testimonials of dismissal and recommendations from other churches and desired to be organized into a church: Joseph Wendell, Phoebe W. Wendell, Eliza Wendell, Nancy Hathaway, Peter Kanouse, G.B. Runyan and wife, Samuel Lovejoy, Mary B. Lovejoy, Emily Kelsey, Sarah C. Kanouse, Joseph Royce and Sally Royce.

After adopting the name for the Society, Joseph Royce and Joseph Wendell were elected Elders. The first motion made after completing the organization was to the effect that the members should neither use nor traffic in intoxication liquors, which was unanimously carried. In the afternoon, Arthur B. Hathaway was baptized, after which Reverend Seth Hardy administered the sacrament.

The meetings of the Society were usually held in the old school house until the church edifice was built in 1858 at the cost of two thousand dollars. It was dedicated in 1859 with the Reverend Chauncey Osborn officiating. Membership totaled thirty-eight. The new church stood in the southeast corner of Church and Hamilton Streets and services was held on Sunday afternoons.

There is no record as to when this Society disbanded nor to what churches its members became affiliated, but some of those family names appear in the history of the Methodist and Baptist churches so we might assume that they joined one of the other churches in the community.

In 1898 the building was sold to the village to be used as an opera house. It was used by many different organizations for various sorts of entertainment, commencements, funeral of Ellen May Tower (military), Dr. Webster and D.G. Royce and was known as the “Opera House”. It burned March 14, 1908.