DENVER, N.C. — Efforts are underway to save a historic Black church from being demolished. The Brevard Chapel United Methodist Church near Denver was built after the Civil War by formerly enslaved Christians.
Now, more than a century later, the church has fallen into disrepair.
Former church members told Channel 9′s Dave Faherty that, like so many congregations, it was impacted by COVID and closed its doors five years ago.
Frederick Murphy is a documentarian interested in the efforts to reclaim the African American Heritage at Brevard’s Chapel.
“I think when people pass here daily, they may not know of the significance of this and know the hard work that it took for individuals coming out of enslavement to actually have the resources to erect a church,” said Murphy.
On Friday, representatives met with several groups to see if the building could be saved. They said they believe some of the deterioration here is cosmetic.
“If you look around, it’s quite a mess. What we’re looking for in preservation is the original bones. So this piece is taken out; if you look up there, you can see the original wood ceiling and walls,” said Abigail Jennings with Hearts Collaborative.
However, without a congregation, it could be costly for the church and others to save it.
Jennings shared photos from the Lincoln County Historical Association of the church while it was still active. She said she hoped they could find a way for it to be saved.
“The story of the people who built this church in the 1870s is a very important story that needs to be shared,” Jennings explained.
While there is no estimated cost for repairs to the church, preservation groups said they have 90 days to come up with a plan to restore the original chapel.
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