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| It snowed! |
We were all set for the wood stove install, but snowy weather put the kibosh on it.
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| Rusty stove pipe! |
So we spent the time nesting, enjoying the feel of this wonderful place.
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| Sunlight, shadow, spirit... |
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| Cleaning, chatting... |
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| Planning, plotting, putting things in their place. |
One thing we wanted to know: what's the date on the church bell?
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| dis'll do... |
Unfortunately, only a contortionist could get up there, so the date of the church still remains a mystery. I poured through information at the Port Austin library, and we've got the historical books by the Port Austin Historical Society, but there are conflicting reports. One says the church was built and moved in 1902, but that doesn't make sense. Why would it have been built and moved the same year? We know it was moved. Some maps have the church closer to Eagle Bay in 1900. We know there was a Presbyterian church but it had burned. There was also a Baptist church according to one account. We did find a 2x4 that was burned on the end; apparently after the fires of 1871 and 1881, folks used whatever lumber they could to rebuild. So it could have been built after 1871 or 1881. Many churches like it were built around that time.
If anyone has information, I'd love to hear it! Drop me a line.
Church!
