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| "Something can
be an original only once, but it can be renovated or restored
many times." |
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| It was with this in mind that the
renovation of the Historic Saint Mary's Church began in May,
1999. |
| The original floor is still intact. Over
the years the Church has settled and the floor has become very
uneven. To repair this defect would have been cost
prohibitive. Except for the area under the pews, a
beautiful blue carpet covers the floor. |
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The pews, installed during the restoration of
1938, were removed, disassembled, repaired, stripped of all
finishes, and refinished. All kneelers were completely
disassembled and, where necessary, new wood was used to repair them.
The original hat hooks on the back of each pew
were removed, cleaned, repaired and polished.
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All of the interior doors were removed, stripped
of numerous coats of finish and refinished to match the pews,
as close as possible. The hardware for the doors was
also cleaned and refinished with the exception of the hinges,
which have been replaced because of excessive wear on the
originals.
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| The overhead lights were removed, cleaned,
polished and lacquered. The Stations of the Cross were taken down,
cleaned, repaired, and beautifully repainted.
All of the cracks and "dings" in the
walls and columns were repaired, and the entire interior of
the Church was repainted.
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The new altar and lectern were made to
coordinate with the existing Gothic design and to match the
pews and wood in the church. |
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The original communion rail was moved into the
gallery approximately ten inches to allow the rail's gates to
be replaced and become operational. The wood, removed
from this change was saved and reused to make the frames for
the memorial plaques in the rear of the church.
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Every effort was made to restore and not to
replace. The Church is the antique and is now in great
condition. With the grace of God, and a little help from
her parishioners, it will last for at least another 185 years.
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