Much-needed renovations to Graham County’s oldest structure – the Old Mother Church on Fort Hill – became one step closer to fruition last week. Photo by Charlie Benton/news@grahamstar.com
Fort Hill – The project to renovate the Old Mother Church took a step forward, with a visit from representatives from Partners for Sacred Places.
On Aug. 18, Partners for Sacred Places Director for Special Initiatives Michel Castano and East Tennessee State University Professor of Appalachian Studies Ted Olson visited the church and met with its pastor Rev. Teddy Silver, members of the church’s congregation and other local stakeholders, including Graham County County Commissioner Dale Wiggins and Graham County Director of Economic Development Sophia Paulos.
The meeting was facilitated by Robbinsville United Methodist Church Pastor Rev. Eric Reece, who has spearheaded the Old Mother Church Project.
“The next step is we have an architect from Asheville that’s going to come and do a total assessment of the building to figure out what needs to be done to preserve it, and make sure it’s safe for now and future generations,” Reece said.
He said the architect would be coming any week and that he hoped the assessment would be accomplished by September.
“We’re really excited about that, because once we have the assessment report, then that’s something everybody can look at and see exactly what needs to be done,” Reece said.
Reece said the floor – which dates back to the church’s 1872 construction – was of particular concern.
“It’s kind of soft in some places and sinks in others, so we’ll have to check it and it’ll have to be inspected for termites and probably treated,” Reece said. “There’s still a long way to go, but it was still a great meeting.”
The church is one of 10 across the region selected for the Partners for Sacred Places Preserving and Strengthening the Cultural Heritage in Central Appalachia Program. Partnerships for Sacred Places will match funds raised for repair and revitalization projects – as well as offering training to church leaders – at the 10 selected churches in western North Carolina, east Tennessee, eastern Kentucky and all of west Virginia.
The program is open to both active and historic sites.
Reece also said the group discussed the church’s role in next year’s 150th anniversary celebration for the county, as it was the first church in Graham County and constructed in the same year of the county’s founding.
“We had a great time,” Reece said. “They looked things over, and enjoyed looking at it and talking about it. We didn’t have much time, but we talked some about the folks buried there in the Old Mother Cemetery.”