Powell Chapel razed due to safety concerns
Jun. 9—After sitting empty and unused for years, Powell Chapel, just inside the gates of Oak Hill Cemetery in Lebanon, has finally come down. The building was razed for safety reasons.
The chapel had deteriorated to the point where the cemetery association board had cordoned it off so no one could be hurt by pieces of brick or concrete falling from the façade.
At the end of 2020, the cemetery board decided it was not worth renovating the building, as it would cost more than $1 million, board member Dan Lamar said in a previous story in The Lebanon Reporter.
Lamar said most funerals are now held in a mortuary or church.
Powell Chapel was a gift from William Powell, a Boone County farmer and philanthropist who gave to many institutions. When he died in 1928, he directed his executors to erect the chapel in honor of the Independent Order of Red Men and The Knights of Pythias. It was dedicated in 1930.
The total demolition cost was expected to be around $20,000 to $40,000.
"We want the community to understand that this was not a snap decision," Lamar said.
Lamar said the Oak Hill Cemetery Association Board struggled with the restoration for several years. The cemetery was established in 1872 and is the resting place for several prominent leaders and citizens. It is a non-profit entity that is still selling burial plots, but the ongoing needs of upkeep are starting to catch up with the revenues generated.
"My philosophy is that we should preserve what we can preserve, and document what we can't," Lamar said.
