Published: May 08, 2008 11:38 pm            

New belfry caps restoration effort at St. Mark's Episcopal Church

After raging floodwaters slammed into downtown Johnstown on May 31, 1889, a heavy bell was all that remained of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church.

On Thursday, with a boost from a crane extending 100 feet skyward, that bell was returned to its rightful place.

The delicate installation of a shiny new belfry marked the culmination of years of fundraising, expert planning and careful craftsmanship.

“It’s a dream come true,” said the Rev. Doug Blakelock, looking up at the newest addition to his nearly 117-year-old church.

When the 1889 flood swept away St. Mark’s, killing Pastor A.P. Miller and his family, the Locust Street property did not remain vacant for long.

Before July ended, a two-story “Red Cross Hotel” had sprung up. The 34-bedroom structure, one of three such buildings in the city, provided temporary shelter for those displaced by the flood.

The hotel closed in 1890, and a rebuilt St. Mark’s was dedicated in the same spot – complete with its bell – in 1891.

But the passing of time took a toll on the church. In the 1960s, Blakelock said, the congregation was forced to remove the belfry.

“What was there was deteriorated and becoming dangerous,” he said. “It was leaking. It just wasn’t safe.”




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The church’s bell tower was capped and covered by a flat roof, and the bell was relegated to a nearby courtyard.

About four years ago, church members began to raise money for a renovation. Those revenues were augmented by a grant from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

“That put us over the top,” said Richard Burkert, a St. Mark’s member who also directs Johnstown Area Heritage Association.

The church enlisted Kentucky-based Campbellsville Industries Inc. – which proudly labels its employees “the steeple people” – to construct a nearly exact replica of the 1891-era belfry.

“It’s as close as possible to the same dimensions and the same colors as the original,” Blakelock said.

With neighboring Somerset Trust Co. sacrificing a portion of its parking lot to make room for construction equipment, the church’s bell tower has been reinforced to handle extra weight.

Starting early Thursday, crews set the first piece of the steel-and-aluminum belfry into place.

The bell was lowered into its new home in the afternoon, and just after 4 p.m., a pyramid-shaped cap settled onto the tower.

Five crosses provided the finishing touch for Thursday’s work. But the project is not quite finished.

“That bell will be ringing again,” Blakelock said.

It turns out that the company that fabricated the bell, McShane Bell Foundry, still is operating in the Baltimore area.

“We were astounded to find out that they had the records on our bell,” Burkert said.

McShane will install an electronic device allowing the bell to ring without swinging from side to side, Blakelock said.

The project is expected to carry a price tag of about $250,000. That buys the St. Mark’s congregation a working bell, and it provides an addition to the Johnstown skyline.

“It enhances the appearance of the downtown, and that’s something everybody can enjoy,” Burkert said.

        

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