First Mission House, Bethel

The First Mission House is a historic church and mission house at 291 Third Avenue in Bethel, Alaska. The wood-frame structure was the first to be built in Bethel, in 1885. It was designed by Hans Torgersen, one of the first group of Moravian missionaries sent to the area, but he died in a boating accident before it was built, and it was completed by two priests with no significant construction experience. Although the building received some alterations, it was restored to its early appearance in 1985. The building has been moved three times, primarily due to erosion along the Kuskokwim River. ()