Interesting Tidbit about the Church Discovered

I went up to the Church today and found Mike Haemmerle and Larry Butcher working away clearing out the attic. All of the tin has been removed from the ceiling and it revealed a bit of history which may be part of the cause of our problem. Years ago, there was a wall down the center of the Sanctuary running north and south to separate the men and women as was the custom of the Quakers at the time our Sanctuary was built. You can see the evidence of a chimney on both the east and west end of the building which kept each side warm in the winter months. The middle wall was torn out to allow the Sanctuary to be opened up for everyone to worship together. At that time, the floor was sloped, the platform was built, and the wall on the west end with the two swinging doors was constructed. It appears that the wall that once stood to divide the men and women was right under the main beam that has slipped and is in failure! So, in looking at it, it is believed this was a supporting wall when the building was orginally built and over the years (by removing that center wall), that main beam had no support and has gradually slipped. I thought you would all be interested in hearing about that new discovery. Hopefully things can be supported so there will no longer be any danger in the future.