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Halltown Colored Free School to begin exterior restoration, thanks to matching grant

By Tabitha Johnston - Chronicle Staff | Sep 15, 2023

The roof of Halltown Colored Free School waits for work to be done to its original slate roof on Sunday. Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — This Saturday, community members will get the opportunity to see recent improvements that have been made to the Halltown Memorial Chapel and Halltown Colored Free School, by attending a joint yard sale and bake sale being held on the property, located at 549 Halltown Road in Harpers Ferry.

Work on restoring the Halltown Memorial Chapel, which was built in 1901, has most noticeably progressed, thanks to donations and the National Trust for Historic Preservation Preserving Black Churches grant program, according to Halltown Memorial Chapel Association representative Kim Lowry.

“At this point, we’re close to completion of everything on the interior of the chapel — the new period-appropriate flooring has been installed and looks beautiful, the plaster has been rehabilitated and painted, the stained glass windows are being cleaned and restored,” Lowry said, mentioning a water vapor barrier has been placed under the flooring, to prevent moisture damage. “The exterior wood window frames and entrance area are being scraped and painted. We’ve put new gutters and downspouts on the chapel, to redirect water away from the foundation. The main thing we have left to do, is some exterior reglazing of the windows and maybe some painting after that and some work on restoring the stone.”

In contrast, the Halltown Colored Free School is just about to begin its major exterior restoration, thanks to a matching grant from the West Virginia State Historic Preservation Office.

“We had to apply by the end of March 2023 and were notified in mid-July that we received the matching grant,” Lowry said. “As part of the matching grant, they matched what we already had raised. We have to use the funds by the end of June 2024.

A pile of slate tiles that have fallen from the roof of the Halltown Colored Free School sit on a pillar outside of the school on Sunday. Tabitha Johnston

“The priority for the restoration is going to be restoring the slate roof on the schoolhouse; masonry repair, which needs a concrete foundation and exterior brick; and then some exterior issues. The school house definitely needs more work than the chapel. We’re confident that this is going to be a good start to that work,” Lowry said. “The schoolhouse really in remarkably good condition, considering it was built in 1870. It’s not falling in around itself, but time is of the essence to at least try to weather-proof the structure for the upcoming winter months. I don’t have any evidence that any structural improvements have been made to the building. It seems to be in original condition.”

Lowry explained the multifaceted nature of this restoration project.

“We have a mandatory pre-bid meeting for potential contractors on September 18. Their bids will be due by October 10 and then, in conjunction with our grant monitor from the state historic preservation office, we’ll make that contractor selection,” Lowry said. “We want to get the roof under cover before winter and, in order to do that, we need to get some of the exterior brickwork restored — you have to have stable brickwork to be able to restore the new roof. With the roof, we want to retain as much of the original slate as we can. We need the contractors to first take the slate off, to evaluate the slate and the underlying framing for the roof. At that point, we’ll have more of an idea of if we need replacement pieces and how much of the site can be saved. With the funds that we have through the matching grant, we should be able to get that done.”

The Halltown Memorial Chapel Association, according to Lowry, is reusing as much original building material as possible, to preserve the authenticity of these buildings, which are both on the National Register of Historic Places. Lowry noted that, while the end is in sight for the completion of the chapel’s restoration, the schoolhouse is only at the beginning of the long restoration process.

“We still have to consider completing the interior restoration,” Lowry said. “We will continue to apply for grants and raise funds to accomplish that.”

The back of Halltown Memorial Chapel is shielded from the weather with a tarp on Sunday afternoon. Tabitha Johnston

To learn more or donate skilled labor and time to the project, email halltownmemorialchapelassn@gmail.com.

Tax-deductible monetary donations should be made payable to the Halltown Memorial Chapel Association and mailed to the Halltown Memorial Chapel Association at 73 Smith Manor Drive Harpers Ferry, WV 25425.

A broken window pane waits to be replaced on the Halltown Memorial Chapel on Sunday afternoon. Tabitha Johnston

Wood boards sit in a pile at the front of Halltown Memorial Chapel, where they are being used to rebuild the structure of the chapel's entrance on Sunday. Tabitha Johnston