Our neighbors up the road at Palmyra in Warren County are celebrating this weekend both the 150th birthday of the historic Palmyra Church and the multi-year restoration effort that brought it back from the brink of disaster. The image here is taken from the Facebook page of The Historic Palmyra Church Restoration Project.
I've driven by this beautiful old building all my life, usually while taking a scenic route from Chariton to Des Moines. Built during 1870 to house a Methodist Episcopal congregation, it was retained by the community after use as a church ceased, then gradually fell into disrepair.
By 2016, when the restoration effort began, there were holes in the roof, the basement had collapsed, portions of the ceiling had fallen and the exterior was in bad shape.
But all of that has changed now. If you're in the neighborhood, open house hours will be 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today (Saturday) and noon to 4 p.m. tomorrow. Masks are required and social distancing will be enforced. Or you can follow the event on Facebook.
And here's a video, posted by Jane Colacecchi, that traces the history of both the church and the restoration effort that saved it.
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