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What did the Preservation Society intend to do with the Church?
The immediate purpose of the Society was to preserve the structure from further deterioration and then restore its condition.
Beyond that,the Preservation Society outlined the following Purposes in its Constitution:
1) To preserve and maintain the Pine Grove Community Church as a non-denominational facility which is to be accessible to the general public.
An example: Weddings are frequently held in the building.
2) To acquire and hold real property for use by the Society and as a public benefit.
An example: Children's Fun Day, August 2013
3) To promote interest in the history and architecture of the Pine Grove Community Church by interfacing with educational institutions within our area through cooperative ventures.
An example: A Choir of Home-Schooled Pupils perform at a December service.
4) To seek, discover and record information relating to the history of Pine Grove and the Pine Grove Community Church.
An example: The Lewis County Historical Society recently sent the Society a copy of this flyer. It advertises a 1906 fund-raiser being held by the Pine Grove Church Ladies Aid Society.
5) To acquire, as custodian, and to collect, preserve and exhibit documents, records and artifacts of historic significance and interest to the community of Pine Grove and the Pine Grove Community Church and its surrounding area.
An example: There is another legacy in the community of Pine Grove that needed to be documented - the District #8 Schoolhouse. The School was located near the church at the same intersection of the Pine Grove and Austin Roads. It can be seen at the far right of this photo. It was built in the late 1870s and functioned as a schoolhouse until 1958.
After school centralization in the 1950s, the schoolhouses scattered about the countryside were sometimes repurposed as homes or storage facilities while others were abandoned. The Pine Grove School had deteriorated, but it was still intact. It was decided to salvage the building as an icon of rural education.
The school building was moved to the Lowville Academy campus and placed on a new foundation that included a cellar.
The school was restored as a living museum where children can attend a one-room schoolhouse and experience education circa 1890. The cellar became the Lowville Academy Alumni Museum.
For Purposes #4 and #5, please help the Preservation Society add to its collection!
If you have photos or other materials relevant to the Pine Grove Community Church or the extended Pine Grove Community, please let us know!
For instance, it would be wonderful to have programs from the Methodist services, instructional materials used in the Mennonite Bible School classes, or some of the year-end photos taken at the one-room schoolhouse. Does anyone have old pictures of Pine Grove homes, farms, roads, etc.
Our contact email: pgccps.dk@gmail.com
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