Fort Hill – A clearer picture of what work needs to be completed before the Old Mother Church is ready for the next 150 years has come to light, following an architectural inspection.
The architectural inspection was conducted by the Asheville-based Mathews Architecture, while a structural inspection was conducted by Matt Shiplet in October. The inspections found water and termite damage, which will need to be repaired.
Robbinsville United Methodist Church Eric Reece – who has spearheaded the recent efforts to revitalize the Old Mother Church – said the inspection showed a need for involved repairs.
However, he said that he hoped the improvements would be finished by the time the county celebrates its 150th anniversary in fall 2022.
“There’s termite damage, plus, the way things are, water comes off the cemetery and runs under the church,” Reece said.
He said it was clear that the project would need to be handled piece-by-piece, with the first step being the water and termite damage. The current Baptist congregation meeting in the building received a grant from the Partnerships for Sacred places at a match up to $15,000 earlier in 2021, but more funds will be needed to complete the revitalization.
A nonprofit Friends of the Old Mother Church group is expected to launch early in 2022.
“Sometimes, because of the separation of church and state, you need some other entity to be able to help out,” Reece said.
In addition to ensuring that the building is structurally sound, Reece also said plans were being made to make the bathroom wheelchair-accessible and add a wheelchair lift to replace the current steep ramp.
“Getting in the church right now, if somebody pushes you in a wheelchair, you can get in there, but if you were on your own it’s too steep,” Reece pointed out. “So they recommended down the road that we get a wheelchair lift, but you’re talking a lot of money to have a wheelchair lift.
“We’ve still got a lot of work to do, got a lot of hopes and dreams. We’ve been doing small fundraisers. The ladies of the church did a bake sale and did really well, and we hope the community will help out.”
The church is Graham County’s oldest building – constructed in 1872, the same year that Graham County was created from a portion of Cherokee County. The church is also represented on the county’s official seal.
Donations can be sent to:
Old Mother Church Building Fund
P.O. Box 215
Robbinsville, NC 28771.
“It’s going to be pretty involved, because when you have to do foundational stuff, you don’t know what you’re getting into, what you’re tearing into, but when you’re working on the foundation, you run into a lot of things,” Reece said.
Reece can be reached at (828) 479-8581.