The saying goes that it is better to give than to receive. It seems like the Foundation is so often making requests for donations that it feels really great to be able to give for once.
Historic Halltown Memorial Chapel, in a neighboring community about three miles west of us, was founded in 1901 as the Halltown Union Colored Sunday School. It served as a place of worship for local parishioners until after World War II when their numbers declined. The Chapel went on to be used to host weddings, baptisms and other events until the late 1980s. The Chapel is now undergoing restoration with support from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
The Foundation recently learned that the pews in the Chapel had been damaged, and the Halltown Memorial Chapel Association was looking for replacements. We happened to have pews to spare at First Zion Church, which in the process of its own restoration. In addition to 30 eight-foot long pews that filled the sanctuary, there were seven half-sized pews, and they are a perfect fit for the Halltown Chapel. We could not be more happy that they have found a beautiful new home. And now there is a strong symbolic connection between these two historic Jefferson County African American churches that are being saved for posterity.
Since these pews are a historic representation of the once-thriving African American community in Harpers Ferry, we were pleased to donate a pew to the Jefferson County Museum for its permanent collection. Pictured is museum historian Doug Perks with the pew.
As the Foundation develops further plans for the rehabilitation of First Zion and a cultural and community center, we will be exploring non-traditional uses of the remaining pews and will be open to rehoming some of them in exchange for a donation to the project. If you are interested in owning one of the full-size First Zion pews, please contact Ed Wheeless, our executive director, at director@historicharpersferry.org
