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Renovations In Progress For Old Stone Church

News - Osawatomie

Written by Travis Perry

Wednesday, 25 November 2009 08:00

When the bell from the Old Stone Church was removed about two weeks ago, the boards underneath it had nearly rotted away, and the steeple surrounding it was in disrepair.

It was an issue Grady Atwater, John Brown State Historic Site administrator, knew of quite well. After lobbying city leaders and administrators, Atwater helped set in motion the first of several steps that have already been taken to help restore the iconic Osawatomie structure to prime condition.

“What we’ve got in the Old Stone Church is a treasure,” Atwater said. “This is a vital, important building in the community. It is a link to the past.”

In an e-mail, City Manager Bret Glendening said Garry Crouch and Nan Bewley of Osawatomie are building a replacement steeple based on old pictures of the structure. It will be composed of a composite material that will not rot and will require much less maintenance.
The restoration of the bell tower, though, is a small part of a much larger project that includes reupholstering the furniture within the church to original specifications, reinstalling carpet on the aisles and in the entry way and rostrum, rebuilding several window shutters, reconstructing the fence surrounding the church and, eventually, putting a new roof on the structure.

“As you can see, we have an extensive list, and the costs are still being determined,” Glendening said in the e-mail.

Aside from completing work on the steeple, however, there is no definite timetable for the other projects on the list.

Several other community members also have been a driving force behind the repair effort, including Karen LaDuex, Margaret Hays, Ted Hunter and Gordon Schrader.

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