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Fire’s second anniversary: Community still mourns loss of church |
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The tall steeple, delicate stained glass windows, and welcoming front doors will live for years to come on the Christmas cards still being circulated in Sawyerville, but since the town’s United Church burnt to the ground exactly two years ago its devoted congregation still mourn the loss.
“I really haven’t gotten over it still,” said Claris Phillips, a long time parishioner. “It felt like losing one of the family.”
Built in 1901 by the Sawyer family, the church’s steeple broke out in smoke at around 4 p.m. that June 9th day two years ago. The local fire department was called in and scrambled to save the building, to no avail.
Resident Corey Bellam recalls the blaze, and particularly the sight of the immense steeple collapsing.
“As it was falling the bell was chiming until it hit the ground,” recalled the United Church goer. “It was the saddest thing you’ve ever seen.”
Sad does not even begin to describe the feelings felt that day by Phillips and her family. The 87-year-old said: “Awful, just awful. That was my church since I was a child. My grandfather furnished the pews.”
According to Curtis Lowry, also present as his place of worship turned to ashes, the church was built Methodist and became United in 1925.
“I’m glad no one got hurt,” he said. “I’ve seen so many buildings decay, fall down, or be demolished. This one just had a very colourful ending. It was the end of an era. The congregation is so old and there just isn’t the money to rebuild it. I often wonder what really happened, but I guess what happened, happened. The final word was, an electrical current caused the fire.”
Some believe the blaze was associated with a semi-truck collision with a hydro pole at 11 a.m. that very morning. The accident ripped the church’s wires out of the steeple.
Calls began to filter in to the fire department five hours later as smoke slowly began to sneak out of the bell tower.
The building was also lost to the numerous local organizations that used the large hall downstairs.
Regardless of the blaze’s cause, decades of choir performances, services, baptisms and weddings flashed in front of the parishioners’ eyes.
Said Phillips: “We were a congregation of about 35 or 40. At that time the (minister’s residence) was up for sale because the minister was moving out. It was within hours of being sold and we quickly put a stop to that.”
Since that day the United congregation has held services at the residence. But their numbers are even smaller.
“We’re an aging congregation, and that’s sad. People just aren’t coming out to church any more. I guess there are too many other things to do on Sundays now.
“We still get together. The people at the Catholic church have been very helpful and kind to us.”
With the fire fresh in her mind because of the anniversary, Phillips said her brother is going to help take her mind off it.
“I’m going to be sad. But, my brother is taking me to a special violin concert and that should help. I don’t think I’ll ever forget.”
By Jen Young
July 9, 2008 |
Montreal Canadiens
