Tucked away in the Womble Library is the St. Michael's Archive, a collection of old photos, histories, press clippings and other documents that help to tell the story of the 60-year history of St. Michael and All Angels Church. Recently, several parishioners got together and pulled out a selection of these documents, hoping to digitize and share some of them with the rest of the parish (and the world). Late this afternoon I started going through one of those notebooks, scanning and photocopying the most interesting items. Toward the front were these two photos, dated on the back as 9-14-53, exactly 60 years ago today!
This is the interior of the church, with a man looking up at the eastern wall. The walls had not yet been plastered, and the floor had not yet been laid. But the place was already rather beautiful.
This appears to be a view from near the back of the then-unfinished church interior, looking north to where the sanctuary would be. Note the catwalk with a worker crouched on it. The white cross seen here was an opening in the original north wall, into which the stained glass cross would be added. The northern end of the church has since been expanded twice, once in 1964 to add the transept (the size sections in front) and apse (a place for the high altar), and again in 1998 to add the organ chamber behind the sanctuary. The glass cross is now in the western wall, near where the choir sits.
A third photo is only dated as September, 1953, but may have been from the 14th:
Help us celebrate 60 years of St. Michael and All Angels this Michaelmas! Details on upcoming events can be found on this blog, with more to come. And we're still looking for your input for our special 60th Anniversary issue of
The Messenger, coming out later this month!
Karen
