Restored in many ways: Cane Hill Presbyterian Church

We are thrilled to share this article about the reopening of the Cane Hill Presbyterian Church. The ceremony on March 21st has been postponed and we look forward to letting you know when the new date will be set.

The renovation of the 1891 Cane Hill Presbyterian Church is nearly complete after a year-long restoration process, and it will once again be home to its congregation of six. The public is invited to visit the church, the ninth historic structure to be restored in Cane Hill, for a rededication ceremony on March 21.

The Cane Hill Presbyterian Church is flourishing -- which might sound like a strange thing to say about a church with six members on the books. But thanks to the efforts of Historic Cane Hill Inc., the 1891 structure has been restored to its original appearance, stabilized so it won't degrade structurally and will take on a more significant role in the community as a site for weddings, performances and public gatherings.

As exciting, says the congregation's commissioned ruling elder, Rita Manske, is a swell in attendance to 10 to 12 a week and a bigger budget for projects other than just keeping the building in one piece.

"We couldn't be happier," says Manske, who fills the role of pastor for the congregation. "It's a real blessing for all of us."

According to Historic Cane Hill materials, the western Washington County community has a rich history of religion, particularly with the Presbyterian faith. The first settlers of Cane Hill were Cumberland Presbyterians from Eastern Tennessee. At one time, there were three different Presbyterian congregations in Cane Hill, the Cane Hill congregation, the Mount Bethel congregation, and the one that continues to meet today, the Salem congregation. Manske says her oldest parishioner is 90, followed by the next oldest at 89, "and the rest of us kind of trailing behind."

"Historic Cane Hill had long wanted to be able to restore the church, and the congregation had resisted for a long time," Manske says. "They weren't comfortable with giving up that last remnant of independence. But there was no money for even minor repairs, and the church was in bad condition from the foundation right up to the steeple.

"Gradually through our interaction with Historic Cane Hill, there was a feeling of trust that began to be established," Manske says. "One day, one of our senior members sat down beside me and said, 'I think this is the time.' So we began our conversations."

John Greer is president of Historic Cane Hill Inc. and the principal architect for the restoration, through his Fayetteville and Little Rock firm, WER Architects/Planners. He'd spend all his time and effort on historic projects if he could, he says, and this one has clearly been a delight. He explains enthusiastically that the church was built with great care -- and great investment -- in the high style and high quality of the end of the Victorian Era. It includes faux oak graining of the pine woodwork -- uncommon in rural areas, he says -- and although the stained glass was a 1950s addition, one of the original windows with a Gothic arch was discovered where it had been covered over when the fellowship hall annex was built.

"We discovered multiple layers of wallpaper," he says excitedly, including original paper from the 1890s. "We didn't have the time or resources to re-create that, but we have it documented. And the door leading to the back of sanctuary had its original oak graining, not painted over. So we have hired a conservation painter from Little Rock to re-create the graining of the door jams and doors, and they'll remove the layers of dirt and varnish from that original door so we'll have a window to the past of that decoration. Little things like that are unique to that time period and unique to Cane Hill.

"This would have been a very high style and expensive building, and to think about that being in Cane Hill means there was a lot of wealth there," Greer says. "The craftsmanship is high quality, and the building is very sound other than just normal wear and tear over time. So when Historic Cane Hill approached the congregation of the church, which had been struggling to maintain the building, we said, 'Here's our deal: If you will sell us your building, we promise to restore the building and help preserve the congregation as long as it's possible to do that.' They said, 'We don't want to sell it to you, but we'll give it to you if you promise to do those things.'"

"And they have," says Manske. "And it will always be a Presbyterian church -- because that's where Presbyterianism began in Northwest Arkansas.’

by: Becca Martin-Brown |
Published March 14, 2020 at 1:00 a.m. in the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

(Courtesy Photo/Scott Davis)