The Grand River Historical Society Museum of Chillicothe has pushed back the move of the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church of Chillicothe to near the museum.
Museum Curator Pam Clingerman reports that rain over the weekend contributed to conditions being deemed too wet to move the church this Wednesday. The Bethel AME Church is now scheduled to be moved the morning of September 18th at 10 o’clock. Clingerman notes in order for the building to be moved near the museum, it has to be pulled across a field and the ground is simply too soft for the move to take place.
The museum plans to replace the church’s roof, install heating and cooling, and restore the building once it is moved to the new location.
The church is thought to be the first AME church built north of the Missouri River following the Civil War.
