History: Raising the Roof

After the installation of our new slate roof in 1984, attention was directed to repairs needed on the church tower. In April 1992, Margaret Westfield, Architect and Preservation Consultant, along with Richard Ortega of Ortega Engineering visited the site to inspect the tower for a June grant application. When Ortega reached the balcony on the tower, he noticed "sag lines" in the church roof. His instinct led him to the open area above the ceiling where he and Westfield found nine broken roof trusses during their inspection. The church was immediately closed and cordoned off with yellow police tape. Due to the imminent danger, no one was permitted inside the building. Collapse was a strong possibility with predictions between 30 seconds or 30 days due to variables of excess weight on the roof, heavy traffic or the vibrations of singing voices. One parishioner's comments said it all: The shock was like the death of a friend.

As word spread of the dilemma, churches in town offered worship space, newspapers spread the story, community people volunteered time and the congregation gathered in the Parish House for Services. At personal risk, with the understanding of the danger, volunteers emptied the church of books, artifacts, music, vestments and all the items needed for Services. Excess materials were packed and stored in the tower. Eventually two storage trailers were donated and used for larger items such as the altar, bishop's chair, organ, cushions and font. The piano was stored and a member gave a home organ for use. (You haven't lived until you share the organ bench with parishioners at a crowded Christmas Eve Service!) Meanwhile, Ortega and Westfield returned to "the drawing board" and re-wrote the grant request for the June deadline.

In June, the New Jersey Historic Trust awarded a grant to Trinity Church. The dollar amount of the award was modified as the extent of the damage and restoration expanded. By this time, temporary shoring towers had been installed in the church to support the roof trusses and lessen the chance of collapse. Monitors were installed to measure movement of the walls and steel bands wrapped the building as additional support. More than $90,000 had been spent for structural studies, shoring towers and scaffolding and no true figure for repairs were known. To assist with the documentation of the structure and modifications over the years, volunteers studied the church records and helped compile a 700 page document that serves today as part of the church's history.

With the financial backing of the NJHT, the project was ready for bid. Since the grants are matching, Trinity had to raise funds to equal the $250,000 award. Considering the size of the congregation, poor economy and surrounding farm area at the time, this was overwhelming and took close to three years to accomplish. In February 1995 the project commenced under contract with Haverstick-Borthwick of Plymouth Meeting, PA.

Floor boards were removed to inspect and sister (strengthen) beams, the sandstone foundation was reinforced, and concrete support towers were installed under the pillars in the basement (in lieu of a pile of rocks!) Portions of the balcony ceiling were opened to install "hangars" for additional balcony support. The arched plaster ceiling was removed, and scaffolding filled the church interior to permit access to the roof truss structure. The slate roof was taken off and stacked for storage and a blue tarp covered the open structure. Trusses and support beams were strengthened with a method called epoxy consolidation. All work was done with preservation in mind: as much as possible, little of the historic fabric of the building was destroyed or removed. The resulting steel support system for the roof trusses, king posts and beams is unique and served as a guide for repairs in two other Episcopal churches that later suffered the same fate as Trinity. It is difficult for those unfamiliar with the restoration work to see any changes from the million dollar project! The exceptions are the Plexiglas area in the ceiling near the organ that allows a portion of the original plaster to be seen and the pilasters against the front wall built to support a steel beam over the palladium window.

Completion of the first grant took only six months and the Re-Dedication Service was held in October 1995. Since NJHT grants only pay for "nuts and bolts", the congregation had to meet the additional expenses of painting the interior, installing new carpeting, electrical and fire alarms systems, and replacing various items lost in the restoration work. Much of those expenses were covered from Memorial Donations. The second NJHT grant was awarded in 1995 and allowed restoration of the tower and steeple to proceed.
Again, Trinity had to match the $150,000 grant.

Financial support came from many sources. In 1995 Woodstown National Bank issued a 10 year, adjustable rate loan with the approval of the Diocese. As contract work was approved, draws were made for payments. At the completion of the grants in 1999 Trinity faced a debt of $176,508. One loan required $20,000 in principal per year plus monthly interest payments that exceeded $600. The other required a set pay-off date plus interest of $400 per month. This was accomplished through numerous fund-raisers, funds from an anonymous donor and the annual golf tournament. Today, maintenance dictated by the Easement with NJHT, as well as repairs to the walls and cemetery still requires fund raisers to finance the work.

The tower project, described in prior articles, was completed in 1999. The most noticeable change was the replacement of the finials and panels that are on the upper levels. Final acceptance of the grants and release of retainage was made in January 2003 by NJHT. At that time the Easement went into effect: under the terms of the agreement, Trinity must inspect, repair and maintain the building in the same condition as it is now for the next 20 years. It must be open to the public for tours, no changes can be made to the interior or exterior as left at the completion of the grant work without NJHT approval, and failure to comply can lead to return of the funds given for the restoration work — $400,000. The NJHT uses these guidelines to protect buildings on the National and State Historic Registers for the benefit of future generations.

As we step back and look at the work accomplished against all financial odds, and the hundreds of volunteers hours contributed, we are reminded of a former Swedish pastor's comment about Trinity's congregation; "the Raccoon people were more obstinate and spunky than ever." May we also remain so to preserve our house of worship!