BRAMWELL, WV (AP) — A 128-year-old West Virginia church collapsed suddenly in the middle of the night on Thursday, the Bluefield Daily Telegraph reported.
Bramwell’s historic Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, which has stood since 1893, caved in about midnight, Mayor Louise Stoker told the paper.
The church’s original congregation included many of the town’s first residents, Stoker said. The Independent Bible Church later occupied the building before donating it to the town, which had been planning to conserve the historic structure.
“I’ve been in dialogue with a preservation contractor,” Stoker said. “This week, in fact, we had sent him photos.”
Workers clearing the debris noted things that could be saved such as large wooden beams and the old church bell. Some of the church’s Queen Anne-style stained glass windows were also mostly intact.
Stoker said the town council will discuss what to do next, but it’s possible that a portion of the building that didn’t collapse will have to be taken down. Standing outside the church on Friday, she pointed out six circular stained glass windows in the remaining structure.
“Not one of them has a broken piece,” she remarked.
