church in downtown Fredonia after a fire
broke out in the clock tower this past Friday.
Travis LeFevre/Managing Editor
JOSH RANNEY
Assistant News Editor
If the village of Fredonia were to have a panoramic picture of its skyline taken, the clocktower of the Family Church Fredonia would dominate it.
After this weekend, though, the steeple that looked over Barker Commons and downtown Fredonia for 165 years is now a charred and blackened skeleton.
The call came in to the Fredonia Fire Department around 6:30 p.m. this past Friday. The fire station, which is roughly a block from the church at 19 Church Street, responded to the scene quickly but the fire tore through the old steeple rapidly.
According to The Buffalo News, the dispatch was originally a one-alarm call to the Fredonia Fire Department, but a second alarm was sent out and fire crews from Dunkirk, Cassadaga and Brocton responded with assistance.
The huge fire attracted a couple hundred onlookers who were partaking in the “Not-Fred Fest” activities of the weekend.
“I was in my backyard on Canadaway when I overheard my friends talking about seeing smoke,” said senior video production major Lily Fischer.
“Before that, I was hearing firetrucks [and] their sirens and I just thought it was for something party related. When I went to see what my friends were talking about, I could see the steeple on fire.”
Fischer said about 200 shocked and scared people, including Fredonia students and local business owners, were out looking up at the blaze.
“At that point the situation was so fresh that there were no police on our side of Main Street,” said Fischer. “I’m sure if I was in Barker Commons they would have told me to stay back.”
Former Fredonia Village Attorney Samuel Drayo told The Buffalo News the Fredonia Family Church was built in 1853 as the First Baptist Church.
“The clock was originally purchased for the Village Hall, but upon delivery it was found to be too large,” said Drayo.
The clock was installed in the church tower where it was maintained by the village. The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
Scott Wise, the associate pastor of the Family Church Fredonia, said that a $1.3 million renovation was recently completed in the church and funds were being raised to renovate the clocktower as well.
The Dunkirk Observer reported on Saturday that Fredonia Police believe loose gutters on the church building hit power transformers in the high winds on Friday, sparking the blaze.
The fire was started in the attic area and was contained to the steeple, but there is smoke and water damage to most of the building.
In a Facebook post on Saturday the Family Church Fredonia said, “Community outreach has been incredible! Volunteers have been here from other local churches, and chairs were donated for use by Family Church Corry and Family Church South Dayton. What a fantastic community we live in, and a good, good God we serve!”
Church services were held Sunday morning at an alternate location at 45 Lakeview Avenue, where nearly every seat was filled, according to Spectrum News.
The message and mood was not one of sadness or downheartedness, but rather happiness and thanks.
“We’re excited for what’s ahead because even though it was something that was sad, we’re not robots, we do feel sadness. At the same time, we are choosing to rejoice because we know the end result is going to be good,” said Family Church Fredonia Music Director Mercy Homer.
“We’re people of faith,” said Wise, “The Bible tells us to be joyful in all circumstances. We’ll rebuild it better than it was.”
The Leader reached out to the Fredonia Fire Department but was told the department had no prepared statement. As of Sunday evening, an investigation is on-going with the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office.