The Delaware County Daily Times (delcotimes.com),
Serving Delaware County, PA
Historic Concord church’s future remains up in air
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
By LESLIE KROWCHENKO Times Correspondent
CONCORD — “Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled” (John 14:1), etched above a painting of Jesus wearing a crown of thorns, graces the altar of the former Spring Valley African Methodist Episcopal Church. The verse, often repeated following the death of a loved one, serves as a reminder that individuals do not face the end of their lives alone. The same could be said for the future of the building.
The one-acre site containing the church is for sale, and the Concord Township Historical Society is hopeful the ultimate buyer will value the structure as much as it does. The sanctuary represents a period in the community’s history that the group would like to see preserved. “We are concerned about the fate of the church,” said historical society member Pennie Scott. “We would certainly like it to be saved.”
Donated in 1880, the property at 270 Spring Valley Road was deeded to John Myers to build a house of worship for members of the AME church, a denomination formed by African-Americans in the late 1700s as a protest against slavery and sociological and theological beliefs. The most significant era of development occurred during the Civil War and Reconstruction, and by the year Spring Valley was formed, AME membership had reached 400,000. The congregation became the church home for many local families living on tenant farms. The township was a strong agrarian community and it served as their cultural center. “At the turn of the 20th Century, approximately one-third of Concord’s population was black,” said Scott. “Many people left during World War II, however, to work for Sun Ship and other industries in Chester.” Because of a declining and aging membership, the church closed in the 1980s, with the faithful transferring to Thornbury AME.
The abandoned property, composed of the sanctuary and meeting hall, was purchased in November 1997 by local businessman and township resident Thomas Gillespie, who apparently wished to restore it for use as a start-up church or for community functions, said Scott. Several weeks later, however, the parish hall burned to the ground in a blaze labeled by investigators as arson. The southwestern corner of the sanctuary was also damaged, although firefighters were able to save it. The parcel, surrounded by open land owned by Meadow Run Estates, has been considered for several uses, including offices for a construction company, a farmers’ market and artist studio. Gillespie died last year and the property is now being marketed by his son, Jim.
The township preservation ordinance outlines the parameters for maintaining historic structures on tracts purchased for development, with the intent of incorporating houses, barns and other edifices that reflect the township’s past into its future. Historical society members noted the possibility of receiving support from the AME Church or African-American community, either of which may be interested in protecting the building.
URL: http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2013/02/26/news/doc512c2b744a3b9911598530.prt
© 2013 delcotimes.com, a Journal Register Property
