Members of the Montgomery County History Taskforce are using modern methods to help fix the roof on a historic Black church that has been a part of the Willis community for 124 years.
The Thomas Chapel United Methodist Church needs $15,000 in repairs to its roof. Volunteers have already raised $4,000. A GoFundMe page has been launched to raise the remaining $11,000.
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Ann Meador, chairman of the taskforce, said the church is the oldest continuous-use building and the only state landmark building in Montgomery County.
“Built in 1899 by the descendants of slaves from the nearby Greenwood Plantation, this church has served as a former school, a civil rights meeting place and an anchor of the black community for 124 years and across five generations in Willis,” Meador said. “It’s congregation, originally utilizing a log building, dates back even further, and has served as the cultural center for black heritage in the area since before the city of Willis was established.”
Meador called the church an important piece of Black history. The congregation was organized in 1867.
The structure was built in 1899 and is located at Waverly and Holland streets in Willis. The congregation now has at 20 to 25 members and is in the process of securing a new minister after the previous minister retired.
When the current Thomas Chapel building was being constructed, a cornerstone was laid and includes the builders P. Culpepper, J. Blain, and R. Jones, Builder. The trustees of the church at that time were N. Lewis, N. Woodson, and L. Culpepper. The pastor at the time the church was built was Edward Lee.
The taskforce is currently researching to find descendants of these men who may still live in the Willis area.
In 2001, the building was designated a state historic landmark and a Texas historical marker was placed on the property. Church member Nancy Jackson, who is now deceased, led this effort.
In 2004, the church applied for a grant to have some restoration projects done, but were unable to raise the matching funds for the work.
In the fall of 2021, two members of the Montgomery County Historical Commission who were aware of the threat to this landmark building began to plan for Phase I of its restoration, the repair and leveling of the building’s foundation.
With foundation work complete, Meador and members of the taskforce are now turning their attention to the roof. Meador has also been posting stories about the history of the church on Nextdoor.
She said these stories seem to be attracting attention from the public.
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“After its last repair 25 years ago, the roof of the church is in desperate need of repair. Over the last several years, this leaky roof has led to significant water damage inside the church sanctuary,” she said. “Water damage has also caused the historic facade on the front of the building to rot, but before we restore the facade, we must repair the roof to stop further damage.”
She said while the wood may appear to be solid, it has rotted.
“Repairing the roof is a laborious and dangerous process, and involves the removal and replacement of over 20,000 fasteners by hand,” she said. “Along with these repairs, the flashing between the roof and bell tower must be replaced.”
She said in previous repairs the flashing was installed incorrectly leading to water running down the front of the building. Also, the 20,000 fasteners from 20 years ago are now rusted and broken.
Ron Saikowski, a Conroe-based engineer, said the church building needed two major elements to secure its survival.
The first being the leveling of the foundation and the second being fixing the leaking roof. The taskforce complete the foundation repairs in 2022.
“With these repairs, we can add another 15 to 20 years on this roof,” he said.
For more on the church, see its Friends of the Thomas Chapel United Methodist Church Facebook page.
