WILLIAMSTOWN, Ky. — More than a century of history came to a crumbling end in Grant County over the weekend when storms swept through the Northern Kentucky community.
The front half of the old Williamstown Presbyterian Church was destroyed Saturday night after strong wind gusts bested the historic structure, causing the steeple to topple and collapse.
Constructed in 1885, the former house of prayer stood as one of the oldest buildings in Grant County.
Watch below for a look at more of the damage and learn more about the building's 140-year history:
"It's just very saddening," said Grant County Judge Executive Colton Simpson.
The elected official met with WCPO 9 News by the rubble Monday. Also the head of the Grant County Historical Society, Simpson brought with him a reprint of a 1901 Williamstown Courier souvenir newspaper. The publication highlighted the history and progress of the community at the turn of the 20th century.
A photo of the church captured in 1901 graces one of the final pages.
"It is such a landmark in Grant County. (It's) one of the oldest church buildings around and one of the oldest buildings in Grant County," Simpson said. "It's sad to see it destroyed."
The church collapsed late Saturday night. Though firefighters were called to the scene not long after, Simpson was among the first in the community to see the aftermath. He was with his family for Sunday mass when he looked out the window of his church, which is located down an alley across the street from the 140-year-old landmark.
Once the reality of the destruction set in, he dove into archives and records in search of any information on the structure he could find. Once he had a good grasp, he took to Facebook to share an update with the community.
"This Williamstown Landmark was constructed in 1885 where it served the reorganized congregation of the Williamstown Presbyterian Church which was organized as early as 1845," the post reads. "The second church building on this site, this structure was dedicated on May 31st, 1885 where Doctor J.M. Worrall preached the first sermon."
The 1901 photo memorialized in the souvenir newspaper captured more than just brick and mortar. At the time, the congregation had dwindled to just 25 people. The church ultimately ceased religious services not long after, Simpson said.
But the building remained and its doors stayed open for other uses over the next century.
City residents saw it house a law office, an optician's office, a pawn shop, a tire shop and a Christian bookstore. Simpson said there were likely other businesses that took up residence and he's hoping the community can help fill in the blanks.
The church might have one day become a wedding chapel. That was the intention of the current owner, a man who owns and has renovated several historic buildings in the city, Craig Butler said.
Butler works for the building's owner and worked with his crew Monday to sift through the rubble and clear it away.
Renovations inside the former church started around two years ago. Crews were able to install new floors and beams before the weekend storms swept through.
"It messed it up pretty bad. It's probably not rehabable. We're going to look into that but I very seriously doubt it," Butler said. "Just because the mortar and the bricks now are getting old so you'd probably have to tear it all the way down now and get rid of it."
Butler said he's sad to see the landmark go. Not only did it serve as a staple for residents, but it also attracted out-of-town visitors.
"I would like to see it stay, (the owner) would have definitely liked to see it stay. That's why we were working on it, trying to rehab it."
Simpson said it's a significant loss for the county which boasts dozens of 19th-century structures. Safety comes first, however, and given the extensive damage, tearing down the half left standing would be the best — albeit bittersweet — decision.
"I trust that the owners here, they're going to put something magnificent here or use the space as best they can," Simpson said. "You don't really know how much it means to a community until something like this happens. It's one of those things where you don't know what you have until it's gone. A lot of people have said they've never been so sad to see a building go, you know? So it meant a lot to the people."
