ROCKINGHAM, Vt. (AP) The town of Rockingham is planning to spend up to $20,000 to save the steeple and a stained glass window from an old church in the village of Bellows Falls that is slated for demolition.
The Brattleboro Reformer reports the Rockingham Select Board voted unanimously recently to spend up to $15,000 to remove the steeple from the Methodist Meeting House and up to $5,000 to remove and crate the stained glass window of “The Parable of the Sower.”
Town Manager Scott Pickup said that what will happen to both of the historic items after they are removed has not been decided.
The demolition date has been pushed back to December to allow more time to salvage the historic items, Pickup said.
The board voted last month to demolish the 1835 building. It was extensively renovated in 1880. But while it was home to the local YMCA, the building fell into a state of serious disrepair. Efforts to save the building failed. The town took ownership of the dilapidated building this summer.
Select Board member Elijah Zimmer, a member of the town’s Historic Preservation Commission, said the steeple is in excellent condition, unlike the rest of the building.
“I’m sad to lose the building, but glad to see a commitment to historic preservation,” Zimmer said.