Village loses historic church
By Sarah Tomkinson, The Hawk Eye, Burlington, Iowa | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
At
Firefighters from
No injuries were reported.
The old church has been under the care of the
According to a dispatch supervisor for
"I just stood in my kitchen crying watching the fire," she said.
Brown and her husband of 19 years were the last couple married in the building.
"We heard a large crack and knew it was nearby. We didn't think it hit anything," said
The two-year village resident saw the roof of the building in flames.
She found the loss upsetting.
"I always wanted to see inside the church," Glasgow said. "Last night, I just watched as the stained glass melted and it fell apart."
"There's talk of turning it into a park, but right now we just need to secure it," she said.
The building wasn't listed on a state or federal historic register, but Fishback said the society was close to putting the church on a list of
"We were so close to putting in a tourism center and getting this to be a destination, and then this happens," she said. "It was never broken into. Everyone respected the church."
Fishback and Brown's family were putting up posts and signs Monday afternoon.
Glasgow said the fire looked manageable until someone entered the building.
"We saw someone go into the front doors and that's when the fire spread," she said.
Fishback said she was presented with items Sunday night that were in a glass case in the building.
Sunday wasn't the first time lightning struck the church. According to a 1970s article published by the
The old church was built of 20-inch-wide stones quarried locally. Regular services haven't been in the building since 1952.
"Right now we're just waiting to hear back from our insurance adjuster," he said.
The building's siding also received significant damage.
Buckley suspects something hit a light post outside the building, frying the wires.
"All we know is that it happened during the weekend storms," he said.
For the time being, the conservation board can be contacted via cellphone at (319) 759-8614.
Gov.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and with all the people who have suffered losses as a result of this series of storms," he said at his weekly news conference in
The
Smith said another person was critically injured near
An
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