Items salvaged from collapsed Bramwell church could go into mini park
Aug. 5—BRAMWELL — Stained glass windows, pews and a bell that were salvaged after an historic church collapsed in November 2021 could find a new purpose at the same place where the church once stood.
Around midnight on Nov. 18, 2021, the former Holy Trinity Episcopal Church near downtown Bramwell suddenly collapsed. Mayor Louise Stoker said that the church was constructed in 1893.
The church had been vacant for about 20 years before it caved in. The Independent Bible Church occupied it before donating it to the town of Bramwell, Stoker recalled. Efforts had been underway to conserve the historic structure.
On the morning of the church's collapse, town employees were soon busy salvaging what they could from the wreckage. They discovered the church's bell in the basement and managed to pull it out into the daylight. The Independent Bible Church had dismantled the steeple.
Stoker said they found the bell's hardware, too.
Intact stained glass windows were salvaged along with two of the church's original pews, she added. Some of the church's wooden beams were recovered as well.
"We salvaged and have things locked up that we feel we can reuse," Stoker said. "And they're working on (the site) as we speak. They've demolished most of it. It's pretty barren."
The town is now exploring ways the lost church's location and the items salvaged from it can be reused. An architect from Roanoke, Va. who has local ties, David Lambert, is looking at the project.
"At this point, we do have an architect who will make plans for a mini park at that site," Stoker said. "Hopefully, he can use some of the things we have salvaged. We do have a few things like the wooden beams, and we'll see how he would like to reuse them. We'll just see what he envisions."
— Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com
Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com
