First Baptist Church of Sonoma was founded in 1945. The building in which the church now meets was purchased in early 1954 from the United Methodist Church of Sonoma. The sanctuary is the oldest known Protestant church north of San Francisco. The building, erected in 1851 consisted of on room lit by oil lamps and heated by a wood-burning stove. It was located on the south side of East Napa St near 3rd St and was known as “Ames Chapel.” It moved to First Street in 1893 and had the roof raised to give it its classic Gothic look. The building frame is made of full-cut pine and hand-hewn timbers, the shell being made of Redwood. Hand-forged square nails were used to fit the framing together. The steeple makes the church the tallest structure in Sonoma. Fifteen hand-cut leaded stained glass windows were obtained in 1903 from the First Methodist Church of San Francisco, saving the windows from the 1906 earthquake. Later, five intricate leaded glass memorial windows were substituted which remain today.