Westboro Baptist Church originated as a branch of the East Side Baptist Church, established in 1931 on the east side of Topeka. In 1954, East Side hired Fred Phelps as an associate pastor, and then promoted him to pastor of its new plant, Westboro Baptist, which opened in 1955 on the west side of Topeka. Its first public service was held on the afternoon of November 27, 1955. After Westboro was established, Phelps broke ties with East Side to become independent of any Baptist denomination. Phelps would go on to become a veteran of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. He founded the Phelps Chartered law firm in 1964, which has since been used to sue communities that are targets of Westboro's protests.