125-year-old historic Black church rings its bell for the first time in 73 years in Willis
By Sondra Hernandez, Staff writer
March 21, 2024
The Courier of Montgomery County
March 21, 2024
The Courier of Montgomery County
After 73 years of sitting sideways and silent atop Willis' historic Thomas Chapel United Methodist Church, the 550-pound church bell can "make a joyful noise" again.
The restoration of the bell and its surroundings in the bell tower mark the final piece of the renovations of the historic church that has served Willis' Black community since 1867.
The bell rang for the first time since 1951 on March 12 after volunteers with the Montgomery County History Taskforce helped reset the 1901 bell in its cradle.
The congregation was organized in 1867 by former slaves from area plantations and the congregation of about 20 continues to meet for services on occasion in the church at Waverly and Holland streets near downtown Willis. The church structure was built in 1899 and a fellowship area was added in 1952.
Since 2021, volunteers with the task force have coordinated foundation leveling, gas and water line repair and mended the 25-year-old roof. More recently, windows at the back of the structure were replaced by Willis pastor and carpenter Rev. Orbra Toliver and in early February, the front façade of the building received new wood and was repainted after 20 years of leaks had damaged the wood.
The restoration of the bell and its tower completes the project.
History of chapel bellAccording to documentation from Ann Meador, president of the History Taskforce, the bell was cast by the C. S. Bell foundry in Hillsboro, Ohio and was purchased for $60 two years after Thomas Chapel was built in 1899.
"It was the best bell the company made and was shipped to Willis by rail from Ohio. The bell itself sits in a medal cradle which has to be secured to the floor and walls of the tower so that it remains upright when the rope below in the church foyer is pulled to ring the bell," she said. "The wooden braces holding it upright had rotted over the 124 years since it was installed. When it was last rung in 1951, it fell loose from its supports and could not be rung until it was picked up and secured on March 12."
Jason Brumbaugh of Brumbaugh Remodeling and Maintenance Company in Conroe saw the stories about the restoration of Thomas Chapel and contacted Meador to see where he could help.
"My grandfather always told me never forget where you came from and I know where I came from and I always try to give back to the community because the community is the reason why I am where I'm at," he said.
Repair efforts a tall taskThe repair of the bell bracing was a difficult task. The top of the tower where the bell is housed is a five-foot-by-five-foot area.
“There is only room for one person to be in there with the bell, and one person cannot lift the bell without help,” Meador said.
Brumbaugh and Toliver took the task on.
Brumbaugh used the structure from the wall and from the floor to build a new structure without putting all the pressure on the existing floor.
“We built a very strong structure inside the top of the tower so that we could use what is commonly called a 'come along' to raise the heavy bell into an upright position,” said Brumbaugh.
After it was lifted, the two men were able to brace it and build strong supports to prevent it from falling again when it is rung.
A woman from Washington state who only wanted to be identified by her first name, Sherrill, donated to the church's GoFundMe page to fund the bell restoration. She had no connection to the church but saw the news coverage online.
"Sherrill told the task force that, when she was a child in Montana, someone stole the bell from the church where her father was the pastor," Meador said. "It was never found and she said she was touched by the story of the Thomas Chapel restoration."
The restoration of the bell and its surroundings in the bell tower mark the final piece of the renovations of the historic church that has served Willis' Black community since 1867.
The bell rang for the first time since 1951 on March 12 after volunteers with the Montgomery County History Taskforce helped reset the 1901 bell in its cradle.
The congregation was organized in 1867 by former slaves from area plantations and the congregation of about 20 continues to meet for services on occasion in the church at Waverly and Holland streets near downtown Willis. The church structure was built in 1899 and a fellowship area was added in 1952.
Since 2021, volunteers with the task force have coordinated foundation leveling, gas and water line repair and mended the 25-year-old roof. More recently, windows at the back of the structure were replaced by Willis pastor and carpenter Rev. Orbra Toliver and in early February, the front façade of the building received new wood and was repainted after 20 years of leaks had damaged the wood.
The restoration of the bell and its tower completes the project.
History of chapel bellAccording to documentation from Ann Meador, president of the History Taskforce, the bell was cast by the C. S. Bell foundry in Hillsboro, Ohio and was purchased for $60 two years after Thomas Chapel was built in 1899.
"It was the best bell the company made and was shipped to Willis by rail from Ohio. The bell itself sits in a medal cradle which has to be secured to the floor and walls of the tower so that it remains upright when the rope below in the church foyer is pulled to ring the bell," she said. "The wooden braces holding it upright had rotted over the 124 years since it was installed. When it was last rung in 1951, it fell loose from its supports and could not be rung until it was picked up and secured on March 12."
Jason Brumbaugh of Brumbaugh Remodeling and Maintenance Company in Conroe saw the stories about the restoration of Thomas Chapel and contacted Meador to see where he could help.
"My grandfather always told me never forget where you came from and I know where I came from and I always try to give back to the community because the community is the reason why I am where I'm at," he said.
Repair efforts a tall taskThe repair of the bell bracing was a difficult task. The top of the tower where the bell is housed is a five-foot-by-five-foot area.
“There is only room for one person to be in there with the bell, and one person cannot lift the bell without help,” Meador said.
Brumbaugh and Toliver took the task on.
Brumbaugh used the structure from the wall and from the floor to build a new structure without putting all the pressure on the existing floor.
“We built a very strong structure inside the top of the tower so that we could use what is commonly called a 'come along' to raise the heavy bell into an upright position,” said Brumbaugh.
After it was lifted, the two men were able to brace it and build strong supports to prevent it from falling again when it is rung.
A woman from Washington state who only wanted to be identified by her first name, Sherrill, donated to the church's GoFundMe page to fund the bell restoration. She had no connection to the church but saw the news coverage online.
"Sherrill told the task force that, when she was a child in Montana, someone stole the bell from the church where her father was the pastor," Meador said. "It was never found and she said she was touched by the story of the Thomas Chapel restoration."
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Volunteers with the Montgomery County History Taskforce have spent three years restoring Thomas Chapel United Methodist Church in Willis. Their final act of renovations was to repair a 550-pound bell from 1901 in the bell tower. The bell's cradle decayed and the bell has not been rung since 1951. On March 12 after repairs, the bell sounded for the first time in 73 years. Video clip courtesy Ann Meador and the Montgomery County History Taskforce |
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History Taskforce wishes to thank Jason Brumbaugh for all his work on this project
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