If you head down South Memorial Drive in New Castle, you might pass a broad, low-slung church with an ocean of parking without a second thought. Look closer, though, and the clues start stacking up- the extra-wide footprint, the grid-patterned masonry, and the unmistakable proportions of a 1990s big-box store. Long before Sunday sermons and fellowship dinners, this place was pure Walmart!
Walmart came to New Castle in 1992 when it opened a 93,000-square-foot store at 709 South Memorial Drive1. Unlike larger outposts in nearby Muncie and Anderson, the superstore lacked an automotive center, vision center, and photo department2. Regardless of the omissions, it was still a big deal for the city of 17,000. I’d put dollars to donuts that it displaced the 45,000-square-foot Kmart as the area’s biggest retailer.
Walmart spelled doom for Kmart, which closed in 1994. New Castle’s original Walmart lasted until 2003, when the present superstore was completed south of town at 3167 State Road 3. At 189,000 square feet, the new store was more than double the size of its predecessor4! The old Walmart just north of South Mound Cemetery could have easily become blight, but New Castle’s First Baptist Church purchased the building for nearly $3 million5.
After roughly a year of renovations, First Baptist unveiled its new, supersized sanctuary in 20056. Fresh paint softened the exterior, a steeple rose where a flat roofline once stretched uninterrupted, and a broad porte cochere welcomed Sunday traffic. From a distance, it almost passes for a purpose-built church! Look a little close, though, and the past still shows through. The long, low profile, the oversized footprint, and especially that unmistakable masonry grid behind the sign all hint at the building’s former life.
Believe it or not, First Baptist Church in New Castle isn’t the first supercenter-turned-sanctuary I’ve ever laid eyes on. Up in Goshen, another old Walmart is now home to the Maple City Chapel! Maybe it’s an Indiana thing, but both churches serve as a reminder that not every piece of the past disappears. Sometimes, they just change shape.
Sources Cited
1 Parcel 030-82645-00 (2026). Office of the Assessor. Henry County [New Castle]. Web. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
2 New Castle Getting Walmart (1992, September 22). The Muncie Evening Press. p. 16.
3 Parcel 030-85104-00 (2026). Office of the Assessor. Henry County [New Castle]. Web. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
4 Padgett, J. (2003, March 20). New Castle Super Wal-Mart opens. The Muncie Star Press. p. 20.
5 Slabaugh, S. (2004, October 16). From saving money to saving souls: Former Wal-Mart now home to church. The Muncie Star Press. p. 1.
6 Boyd, O.T. (2005, June 13). New Castle Wal-Mart now church. The Muncie Star Press. p. 1.
I’ve seen churches take over interesting spaces (like the old Marsh store at 62nd and Keystone in Indianapolis) but never one this big. Impressive!
New castle also has a marsh church! I snapped a couple pics and have a post scheduled.
I have been inside the church a few times. They did agreat job repurposing it. Rumor has it that it cost more to operate than they hoped and there was no growth from moving to the building. The sanctuary is pretty big for the amount of people who attend.
That said, the old building wasn’t in good shape.
Then there is the old Jr High building in the center of town that now houses a homelss center and the attached gymnasium houses a small church.
Oh and the latest church re-purpose is the old Marsh store is now a church as you have noted. Another well done re-purpose. Of course the problem is, the city loses the tax income from these places when they become churches
I wondered what the inside looked like. Sounds like a great job was done.
I’ve been inside the old jr. high once. Went to a thrift shop there. Next time in town I’ll go back and snag some photos inside and out!
Good people there. The homeless shelter is a real service to the cit, and there are several small businesses housed inside.
The building also served as a special needs school back in the 1970s.
Oh and the old baptist church is across the street. The orner of 14th and Walnut. There were plans to turn it into a funeral home years back, but it never happened.
Interesting! I’ll make it a point to snap photos of both.