Many measurements of the photograph and existing church structure led to what was hoped to be a faithful rendition of the circa 1904 steeple. This picture, hanging in the church, is from the Fred Banks collection.

Steve Siegel of Liberty Iron and Steel arrived with his monster crane promptly at 7:00 a.m.

Steve Siegel lifted the bell tower shell, revealing the old structure beneath, as well as the 1904 church bell, and deposited the shell on the ground.

Steve Lott and the downed belfry.

Brian and his men then took apart the old construction, reinforced the cradle holding the bell and its ringing mechanism.

Examination of the bell itself revealed it had been cast with the following inscription:  "Meneely & Co., West Troy, N.Y. /  Beaverkill M.E. Church / June 11, 1904 / Worship the Lord, Ps. 96:9".

Nothing would do then but to climb up and take some once in a lifetime photographs of the bell, church and cemetery environs.

On Tuesday, Steve, Eric Hamerstrom, along with Brian and his crew, manhandled the new bell tower and steeple onto Eric's flatbed truck and drove it from Brian's shop to the side of the church, where it rested, ungainly and impatient, on its side.

Wednesday, October 29,  at dawn, saw the return of Steve Siegel and monster crane.

The new steeple, weighing well over three thousand pounds, was lifted from the truck bed to the ground into a vertical position,  then straps were placed through the tower and looped over the crane hook.

The entire structure was lifted above the church roof and slowly, slowly, slowly lowered to its resting place, guided by Brian and his men.

It fit perfectly.

Thank you to the Team.

The Sun dies and dark clouds clash. Electrons through these graves surge. And then with white and blinding flash What once was part of mortal urge Ascends to heaven through our spire, And we sing on, the human choir. by Ed Cerny

Everything in its place - the copper flashing and the green shutters!

Steve had worked for months with Brian Greenthal to design and build, on the ground at Brian's shop, a new structure which would rest comfortably and safely on the existing church frame and replicate the original church steeple built in 1886 but destroyed more than once by lightning, most recently in 1948.  The basis of the design was taken from a photograph of the church which life-long resident Fred Banks had supplied, probably taken circa 1904, based on the casting date of the current church bell.  Many measurements of the photograph and existing church structure led to what was hoped to be a faithful rendition of what had inspired the Beaverkill parishioners of the 19th and 20th Centuries.

First, the multiple layers of old structure, and the earlier rebuildings of 1904 and 1948 had to be removed.  About 2002 the then extant bell tower, built in 1948 without a steeple, had been cosmetically repaired by building a shell around it.  Steve's plan was to lift off the shell, demolish the remnants of the former towers, truck the new structure from Brian's shop to the church, and lift it into place using a crane capable of raising the new 20-foot high tower and steeple onto the church roof, which was itself more than 40 feet high.  All was ready, and execution was at hand. 

Steve Siegel of Liberty Iron and Steel arrived with his monster crane promptly at 7:00 a.m.  Brian Greenthal mounted the roof, removing the last fasteners holding the bell tower shell in place, and connected straps through the tower shell to the hook of the crane.   With deft hands on the controls, Steve Siegel lifted the bell tower shell, revealing the old structure beneath, as well as the 1904 church bell, and deposited the shell on the ground.  He then left with his crane, to return on Wednesday, October 29.

Brian and his men then took apart the old construction, reinforced the cradle holding the bell and its ringing mechanisms,  laid down new roofing, and built the further structures required to seat the new steeple safely onto its resting place.  

Nothing would do then but to climb up and take some once in a lifetime photographs of the bell, church and cemetery environs.

Examination of the bell itself revealed it had been cast with the following inscription:  "Meneely & Co., West Troy, N.Y. /  Beaverkill M.E. Church / June 11, 1904 / Worship the Lord, Ps. 96:9".  

Research quickly revealed that Meneely & Co. was a renowned bell foundry which, from 1826 to its closing in 1952, cast over 34,000 bells.  The Beaverkill Methodist Episcopal Church bell was a standard catalogue item.  Many such were cast and sent around the world.

Click to enlarge.

On Tuesday, Steve, Eric Hamerstrom, along with Brian and his crew, manhandled the new bell tower and steeple onto Eric's flatbed truck and drove it from Brian's shop to the side of the church, where it rested, ungainly and impatient, on its side.

Wednesday, October 29,  at dawn, saw the return of Steve Siegel and monster crane.  The new steeple, weighing well over three thousand pounds, was lifted from the truck bed to the ground into a vertical position,  then straps were placed through the tower and looped over the crane hook.  The entire structure was lifted above the church roof and slowly, slowly, slowly lowered to its resting place, guided by Brian and his men.  It fit perfectly.  There was never any doubt about this of course, but,  still . . . .  Looking at Steve Lott at that moment I could see great relief followed by joy in his face, then celebration.  Well deserved.

Thursday and Friday saw Brian doing the finishing work, including completing the fastenings of the tower to the frame of the church, attaching the copper cable from the lighting rod at the apex of the spire to the ground, completing the waterproofing of the roof with some stunning copper flashing on all four sides, and mounting the green shutters to the tower openings.  I drove up Beaverkill Road to see if the copper spire was visible.  There it was.

On Friday the Sun came out and lit up our new copper-clad spire like a pink flame.  To be sure, this metallic beauty will fade to brown and, after many years to greenish gray, verdigris.  Still it will continue to inspire (pun notwithstanding) the living and, we may hope, the dead.

Brian finished up and came down from the roof and we talked.  He said he had enjoyed planning, building and mounting the steeple, and was proud of his work.  I thanked him for all of us.

Life has many serendipities, and I remembered this fact, standing alone in the graveyard watching the steeple flash in the Sun.   It was Halloween and almost All Souls Day.  I wondered what the departed would think of their church now.