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CLAQUATO — News this week that Lewis County was declaring as surplus the historic Claquato Church surprised a lot of people, but not the church’s longtime neighbor.
The Claquato Cemetery Board has spent two years putting together a detailed plan to restore the church, which has been under county ownership for almost 80 years but is in need of major repairs the county government can’t afford.
The 1858 building, which is listed on the the National Register of Historic Places and the Washington State Heritage Register, was put up for sale on Tuesday. The Lewis County Commission is requiring bidders to detail how they will preserve the building, which is the oldest church in the state still in its original location.
Brett Mitchell, president of the nonprofit board that owns and operates the equally venerable Claquato Cemetery nearby, said they will be submitting an offer to buy the church along with a detailed plan to save it.
Their plan, made in consultation with a historical architect, begins with a new roof. Mitchell said the cemetery board already has funding in place to make those urgent repairs to keep the building from deteriorating. They already have a source lined up for cedar shake shingles like those used 167 years ago.
Lewis County Commissioner Scott Brummer, a Winlock Republican, said the building needs help, and the county has many other needs for limited public funds, including the roof of the Lewis County Historical Museum and aging buildings at the fairgrounds.
Finding a new owner with a commitment and plan to restore the historic wooden building in Claquato, the original county seat, is the best option, he said.
“If we don’t do this, it’ll end up beyond repair and fall in on itself,” Brummer said. “Long-term I really believe that is the right thing to keep it preserved.”
Deferred maintenance
The idea of buying and restoring the church began a few years ago when the cemetery board, which runs the 70-acre pioneer Claquato Cemetery, saw that the church’s grounds were overgrown. Lewis County had been deeded the church in 1948 and had seen it undergo several renovations of varying scope during that time. But with money tight, even maintenance like mowing the lawn was being deferred. Neighbors of the historic church asked if the cemetery board could do anything. Mitchell, who retired as director of Reliable Enterprises and has spent 15-plus years on the cemetery board, said his group saw a natural fit between the two neighbors in the historic hamlet of Claquato.
“We thought, ‘No one out there can take this on. It’s way beyond the county’s ability to take care of it, let along rehab it,’” said Mitchell.
The cemetery board contacted the county to talk about how they might help, Mitchell said, and began mowing the lawn, cutting back brush and doing other landscaping work using their cemetery staff.
The cemetery board also hired an architect, spending thousands of dollars to analyze the structure and evaluate what it would take to rehab it.
Starting with the roof
The cost to fully restore the building will be at least $400,000, according to their estimate. They have funding for the first phase — restoring the roof — which will stabilize the building. They will also fix the church’s distinctive “crown of thorns.”
More work will be needed. Wood underneath the vintage windows is rotting. There are water spots on the ceiling that show evidence of some leaks. But the detailed survey the cemetery board commissioned shows that the underlying building is still in fairly good shape. One reason why: the building hasn’t been heated. That cuts down on damage from internal moisture, since there is no temperature difference with the outside to cause condensation.
Earlier this year the cemetery district showed Commissioner Brummer their plan for the building. He met with the donors they have lined up, including descendents of the original Claquato settlers who founded the church.
Convinced that the cemetery board would be respectful stewards of the church’s unique history, and that they have the financial backing to do the work needed, Brummer said he moved forward with the legal steps to sell the property.
“Obviously Claquato is the largest, most stable cemetery we have,” Brummer said. “I believe they’ll do a great job.”
Surplus sale
The county has spent months setting up a legal process to transfer the land and church.
“We can’t gift, even to a nonprofit like that, public resources, even though it was gifted to us,” Brummer said.
When the decision was announced Tuesday to declare the property surplus, many members of the public responded on social media with concern about the sale of a piece of the county’s legacy.
“The decision by the Lewis County Commissioners to surplus the historic Claquato Church came as quite a shock and surprise,” wrote Lewis County Historical Museum Director Jason Mattson, summarizing a view that many others also posted.
Brummer said that in hindsight, he should have offered more background and explanation to the public.
“That’s my call, my fault and responsibility,” Brummer said. “I should have explained as much as I could, that we have an interested party.”
As part of preparing for the sale, last month the county set up a covenant on the property prohibiting development or alterations that would destroy, damage or remove the church, while allowing any work necessary to repair it.
Anyone can submit a bid, but the county will look closely at their plan to protect and rehabilitate the church.
“We have right to accept the proposal that fits best with the restrictive covenant we placed on it to restore and maintain the church as a historical site, regardless of the bid price,” Brummer said.
The bid price and the plans will be public record once bids are opened.
The cemetery board members said they will offer a fair price for the property and a detailed plan to keep it alive for generations to come.
“Our intention is to get it rehabbed so it can stand up to public access,” Mitchell said, from school tours to historical events.
“The more people understand that our goal is to preserve it and make it for the community,” Mitchell said, “the easier it will be for everyone to take a deep breath and not worry about anyone bulldozing it and putting up a house or two. We don’t want that to happen more than anyone else. We’re just the ones willing to step up and give it a try.”
Brian Mittge can be reached at brianmittge@hotmail.com.
