HARPERS FERRY, W.Va. (AP) - First Zion Baptist Church on West Ridge Street is in need of extensive repairs. The Harpers Ferry Foundation is in the next stages of looking for volunteers and donations to help restore the church.
Carrie Gauthier, a member of the foundation, said she hopes to restore the church to its former glory in the hopes the foundation can preserve the its heritage, as well as move it forward for future generations to enjoy.
Gauthier said volunteers are needed to help raise funds, write grants, collect oral and written history and to help with the renovation.
The Zion Baptist Church has a lot of rich history, according to Gauthier.
Built in 1893, Zion Baptist was a place where the African American community of Harpers Ferry and Bolivar gathered. The basement of the church was also used as a school prior to the construction of Grand View School.
More than 100 years ago, the church members labored to erect the building and men and women volunteered to “scoop” the foundation with picks, shovels, wheelbarrows and assisted masons by carrying bricks and mortar in their aprons.
“This was one of the first African American schoolhouses,” Gauthier said. “They were expanding at the time, so they taught the kids in the basement. They also cooked while hosting dinners and weddings here. We’re really interested in preserving the black history in the community. We’d love to bring music back, and we’d like to have events where we gather local history before it’s gone. It would be wonderful to have it as a place for gospel music, and for people from the surrounding area to submit photos and memorabilia that we can hang on the walls in the church.”
Gauthier said she wants it to be a community effort to renovate the church.
The renovations would start with the basics - the roofing on the building.
“The initial focus now is fundraising and finding volunteers,” Gauthier said. “There is a lot of water right now coming into the church, so there is a lot of water damage that needs to be repaired. We are going to have to change the whole foundation and we have to stabilize it. The bones of this place are really good, we just need to build on that.”
However, despite being exposed to harsh circumstances for many years, Gauthier said the church is still in good condition.
“This church is actually in really good condition considering it has been open to the elements all these years,” Gauthier said. “The old piano is still in great condition, as well as the pews - they are antiques from the original building and we are definitely keeping those. What we really need to do now is to jump right in this. We are always looking for donations and of course laborers. We need any roofers who are looking to help clean and patch it up, provide ground maintenance, help with the drywall and ceiling repair - things like that. There is a lot of sweat equity to be done here.”
Though there is a long road ahead, Gauthier said she just wants to take the renovations one project at a time.
“I don’t want to overwhelm anyone,” Gauthier said. “So we are going into this bit by bit - one task at a time, starting with the roof. It’s important that we keep it that old fashioned look. We want it to retain what it would of looked like when it was finished in ’95-96.”
Gauthier said a kickoff celebration for the restoration will be on Saturday, Aug. 5.
“We are planning to have a kickoff celebration that night to get this restoration started,” Gauthier said. “It’s a very long and hard task ahead, but I know we can do it with the community’s help. Anything that saves this building for future generations is a success.”
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