Williams man rebuilding old Port Williams Church from original lumber
It was a simple country church, covered in white siding and a faded metal roof. Empty for decades and tucked away in Williams, Port Williams Church held its last services in the 1970s.
Tom Dalheim had no connection to Port Williams Church, other than he lives a few miles down the road. But he had something else.
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"I'm a sucker for old buildings."
Rather than see it collapse or get torn down, Dalheim spoke to the board members of the adjacent Port Williams Cemetery and Indiana Landmarks to discuss options for preserving or moving the structure. After those options didn't pan out, Dalheim eventually received permission from the cemetery board to disassemble the church.
Beginning in November 2018, he spent about two years, working weekends and days off tearing off the old non-historic layers and finally getting down to the original timbers.
Over the years, aluminum siding had been added, ceiling tiles were installed, and additional layers of flooring added. Some architectural details such as the old transom windows and the church's steeple and bell were removed. With help from his wife, Traci, family and neighbors, Dalheim whittled the church down to its original skeleton. Each piece was labeled and now the disassembled church is stacked in a barn at Dalheim's 200-acre farm. He took multiple photos and video to use as a reference once he begins rebuilding the church.
"It didn't look very historic from the outside, but once we got in there and started taking it apart, I could see it was hand-pegged together," he said.
The Port Williams Church served the community from the 1850s to the 1970s. Typical of most country churches at the time, it measured 30 by 40 with two doors and two aisles and four windows on each side.
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Although there was evidence the building received some improvements, the footprint stayed the same. It had no kitchen nor a separate space for Sunday school rooms, other than an area separated by a curtain not far from where the minister was preaching. The bathroom was an outhouse was out back. It was not a fancy church. There were no stained glass windows or any ornamental decorations.
During the de-construction, Dalheim said he was often approached by curious residents asking about his plans for the old church and they would share their connection to it.
"I've met so many people who have said, 'I went to that church' or they've told me about how they baptized people in Chase Riffle."
Once he got down to the original structure, he found thick, hand-hewn beams that were 40 feet long.
"I like old buildings and hate to see things demolished," he said.
Although it was structurally sound, the building was in bad shape. The bottom had rotted and parts of the roof had blown off. Inside, a few of the pews had been given away, but the hymn board listing the hymns from that last service was still there.
Preserving old structures is important to Dalheim. Tom and his wife Traci live on what was known as the Trueblood farmstead and live in a house built in 1890. Prior to moving to Williams, Dalheim bought an old home in Harrodsburg that he renovated.
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The Dalheims' farm contains the original Trueblood family cemetery, located on a ridge overlooking an area of White River bottoms land. Now that he has retired from his job at Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dalheim plans to rebuild the church adjacent to the that cemetery.
Dalheim would like to gather more information on the church's history. If any residents have photos or experiences to share, they can text or call him at 812-369-7323.
This article originally appeared on The Times-Mail: Williams man rebuilding old Port Williams Church from original lumber
