Hubbard group works to preserve historic church

By SAMANTHA PHILLIPS

sphillips@vindy.com

HUBBARD

The Harding Park Meeting House Building Committee seeks to preserve the past and build for the future.

The group has been working for years to raise enough money to construct a multi-purpose facility in Harding Park, featuring artifacts and materials that were salvaged from a historic church in the city.

The facility would be used for events such as weddings, receptions, showers and concerts.

“We hope to build a structure that honors the history and the effort people went through to make sure they had a church in the community,” said committee coordinator Mary Buchenic.

The former First Presbyterian Church was built on the corner of Hager and West Liberty streets in 1857. It was originally a log cabin.

Samuel and Anna Tylee, the first permanent residents of Hubbard in 1801, attended the church, which was built in 1857 on land their daughters owned.

The church relocated to Westview Avenue, and eventually Rite-Aid bought the property for a store.

Plans were made to demolish the building in 1995.

But, the church contained too much of historical value – and too many family memories – to just be bulldozed.

About a dozen people worked together to devise a plan to preserve the building. Among them was Judy Ruby – five generations of her family attended the church, and she was baptized and married there.

The group coordinated for an Amish crew to dismantle the church. They were able to save much of it.

The original chestnut wood, pews and the altar are still in storage.

Thanks to the committee, the restored church bell tower stands near the entrance of Harding Park.

Committee member Linda Clark said features of the church, such as the beams, will be incorporated in the new facility. “It keeps the history alive. I think it will be good for kids to see how things were constructed in those days,” she said.

The original plan was to build a replica of the church, but Clark said the project would have been too expensive.

The group has been busy organizing fundraisers to raise money for the project.

The biggest fundraiser is its Taste of Hubbard event. This year, for the 11th annual event, the group raised $8,000, and had 22 food and craft vendors from Hubbard and some surrounding communities. The winner of the taste-testing contest was Pizza Joe’s.

Buchenic recalled her mother being part of the crew that worked hard to salvage the church.

“I think that generation, they understood the importance of people having a place to worship, and the community, how that was part of your community,” she said.

Members of Hubbard Conservation and Restoration Society and the Hubbard Rotary Club are involved along with other volunteers.

If you would like to get involved, contact Buchenic at 330-534-3272.