MADRID, N.Y. — The St. Lawrence Power and Equipment Museum in Madrid is working to stabilize and restore the historic Nevin Memorial Church that once stood in Lisbon in St. Lawrence County. The Northern New York Community Foundation provided a grant of $10,000 for the project. The structure, which was built in 1855, was donated […]
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MADRID, N.Y. — The St. Lawrence Power and Equipment Museum in Madrid is working to stabilize and restore the historic Nevin Memorial Church that once stood in Lisbon in St. Lawrence County.
The Northern New York Community Foundation provided a grant of $10,000 for the project.
The structure, which was built in 1855, was donated to the museum in November 2020. In February, museum officials commissioned its deconstruction and successfully moved the structure to the Power and Equipment Museum’s main campus at 1755 State Highway 345. It joins more than a dozen other historic buildings on the museum’s village green.
Nevin Memorial Church permanently closed its doors in December 2019 after 164 years of worship. Anticipating its closure, church trustees approached the Power and Equipment Museum’s board and offered the building and its contents to the museum.
The museum plans to feature historic exhibits in the church and add it to campus tours. The structure features 12 stained- glass windows created by the Horwood family of stained-glass artists from Ogdensburg.
In addition to its role as an addition to the village green and depiction of early North Country life, museum officials plan to offer the church as a venue for weddings, memorial services, and other community gatherings.
“The museum is one of our region’s gems. Our holistic partnership has helped enhance the museum’s work and mission now, and will sustain it for future generations,” Rande Richardson, executive director of the Northern New York Community Foundation, said in a statement. “We are pleased to be part of this project, which will be a meaningful complement to its current offerings for those who visit.”
Ronald Sheppard, president of the St. Lawrence Power and Equipment Museum board of trustees, said Community Foundation support “is an invaluable addition to our efforts as we build out this significant and impressive contribution to our campus.”
“This will enhance a strong sense of community involvement and pride, foster historical preservation, and promote economic development in our rural corner of the county,” Sheppard said. “Thanks to generous supporters like the Community Foundation, the museum continues to grow its endowment and develop exciting plans for the future.”
The museum has a near decade-long history of working with the Community Foundation.
In 2012, not long after the Community Foundation expanded its service area to include St. Lawrence County, the Power and Equipment Museum was one of the first nonprofits in the county to establish a Foundation partnership with a permanent endowment fund.
In 2017, the museum successfully fulfilled a matching grant challenge for its endowment that is stewarded at the Community Foundation.
Since 1983, the St. Lawrence Power and Equipment Museum has aimed to preserve and teach the history of how early North Country residents lived and the many ways technology and equipment helped shape their lives. It says its collection includes hundreds of artifacts and features approximately 30 historical buildings, exhibits and collections. Featured buildings and artifacts include a schoolhouse, a blacksmith shop, a two-story granary, a gas station, steam engines, and log cabin.