Friends Cemetery awarded $10K to repair tornado damage

The South Farmington Friends Cemetery Foundation received a US $ 10,000 Vitality Grant from the Rochester Area Community Foundation for its historic chapel restoration project.

The interior restoration project builds on the facade improvement project in 2019 and the roof renewal project in 2020, both funded by DAR scholarships for historic preservation.

The RACF-funded project included the removal of the existing plaster / lathe / drywall inside the chapel, which had been badly damaged by rain, ice jam and melting snow since a tornado in 2015, the inner walls and the inner cathedral roof. The new walls and ceilings were given a new coat of paint.

The remaining work under the RACF grant, which is to be completed this winter, includes sanding and refurbishing the historic wooden floors as well as cleaning and refurbishing the historic paneling on the interior walls of the chapel.

Work is underway to restore the interior of the chapel at South Farmington Friends Cemetery, which has been further damaged by rain, ice jams and snowmelt.

The chapel building was built in 1889 by members of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union and Quakers of Farmington. Kitchenette and ADA-compliant bathroom and installation of a sewage treatment plant to maintain the building.

“This is a great cause for South Farmington Friends Cemetery, and we cannot stress enough our appreciation for this generous gift from RACF,” said President David Plante. “The funds will go a long way towards restoring the interior of the chapel and will bring us one step closer to the return of the building to a common area open to the public. The interior restoration keeps our momentum going and builds on the extensive exterior restoration work that was completed in 2019 and 2020. ”

The financing of this project is made possible by donors who have set up an endowment fund at the RACF. Visit racf.org or facebook.com/SouthFarmingtonCemetery for more information.

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