The Ellis Congregational Church at 720 Washington Street was built between 1907 and 1908 by Wise and Jacobs. The First Congregational Church, founded in Ellis in 1873, is believed to be the first organized congregation in the town. Early services were held in the Ellis House, the town’s first schoolhouse. The one-and-a-half-story rectangular stone building was designed in the Gothic Revival style, with a hip roof with lower cross gables. The church closed in 1971, and a few years later, the Ellis Arts and Historical Society assured the preservation of the historic building. Afterward, it was made available for public use, with the chapel hosting occasional weddings and the lower level hosting local meetings, meals, and receptions. In 1991, it became the headquarters and museum of the Bukovina Society. In 1886, the first Bukovina Germans arrived in Ellis, Kansas, and would act as scouts for a larger group settling there in 1887. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in March 2000. Photo by Kathy Alexander.