Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
This image of the inside of Stavanger Church shows the poor condition of the ceiling. The gridwork of the suspended ceiling is sagging, and there are holes in the plaster and lathe on the original dome ceiling above.
The Eddy County Museum and Historical Society is in need of financial donations in order to open the Stavanger Church building to the public this summer.
Last October the "Transcript" reported on repairs to the historic church building. At the time, the Eddy County Historical Society had effectively raised the $11,000 needed to replace the roof. It was a years-long process that culminated when local contractor Dean Wallace completed the work.
Also during this time, Historical Society members discovered another issue with the structure. The drop ceiling within the church was in very poor condition and appeared to be sagging. Out of concern for the museum's artifacts, the board asked Wallace to remove the tiles from the drop ceiling prior to beginning work on the roof.
The board knew that at minimum the acoustic ceiling tiles were in dire need of replacement and were prepared to make an investment in the repair. However, they weren't prepared for what they'd find underneath. Therein was discovered the original dome ceiling constructed with plaster and lathe, which is similar to the ceiling in Grandfield Lutheran Church of rural Sheyenne.
The Stavanger Church was originally constructed and dedicated on Oct. 28, 1909 and was located southwest of New Rockford and served the rural population near Cathay for over 70 years. It closed in July 1983. The Church arrived at its new home on the Eddy County Museum grounds on Oct. 20, 1984. Today the Stavanger Church building serves as a gathering space for events and meetings and houses collections of books, documents, religious artifacts and military items. It has become essential to the Eddy County Museum's efforts to collect, display and preserve historical artifacts from the area. In addition the church serves as a cultural marker to the rural communities of and around Eddy County.
It is unknown when the drop ceiling was installed, but what is evident is that the plaster and lathe are in no condition to be exposed. The Historical Society plans to preserve the integrity of the dome ceiling by installing shiplap along its contours, which should also effectively seal the plaster and lathe from further damage. The cost to complete the ceiling restoration is $16,000, which will be done using locally sourced labor and materials.
That is why the Museum is turning to the community for donations to finish the much-needed repairs. Because the museum operates on just one quarter of one mill, which equates to about $3,500 per year in property tax revenue, community donations are necessary to complete this and other special projects.
Donations can be sent to Eddy County Museum, P.O. Box 135, New Rockford, ND. Donations can also be made by credit card at http://www.eddycountymuseum.com by clicking on "shop" and then "donations."
