Historic Church From The Women's Rights Movement Burns in Seneca Falls

[biopowertoday]

so very sad and on International Women's Day also. I had visited this site not long ago when they were in the process of restoration.





An historic church in the cradle of the Civilized Women's Rights Movement caught fire on Thursday night.

Now investigators are trying to figure out how that fire started.

The fire is devastating because pieces of history were lost. One wall is all that remains of the Wesleyan Chapel where the congregation held the first Women's Rights convention in 1848.

Then in 1871 they built a church. Now there is the Women’s Interfaith Institute, less than a block away.

The fire damaged much of great hall--the area that used to be the sanctuary. The building was undergoing a restoration project...a group was booked to use it in two weeks.

The pews were not inside yet, but paintings and tapestries were. Some were rescued along with a significant piece of the Movement--the pulpit that Elizabeth Cady Stanton and others stood at for the 1848 convention.

But the institute's library was lost.

Thousands of books on women and religion were in the basement which wasn't touched by the fire, but suffered water damage..............


edit to fix link:

http://www.13wham.com/news/local/story/Historic-Church-Burns-in-Seneca-Falls/4_W8bbm3zkyN4gXYd_Aakw.cspx

[Captain Hilts]

1. Oh, man, I've been there. That's terrible. nt

[biopowertoday]

2. there is some

discussion that the photo in the news article may be the second church--not the original one which had the one wall left. Stay tuned.

But in either case, a lot of history is gone.

[Captain Hilts]

3. I love that area. nt

[ensho]

4. is help needed restoring the books?

I'm sure local women, if they knew, would come and help.

[Solly Mack]

5. "Ain't I A Woman?"

:(