After three years and a rollercoaster of a fundraising campaign, the Damariscotta Baptist Church steeple was finally returned to its position of glory, overlooking downtown Damariscotta, Aug. 24.
Hundreds of people gathered along Main Street and Bristol Road to watch the finishing touches being placed on the steeple before it’s raising. The steeple, resting on a platform of thick wooden beams, was firmly tied to a crane before it was lifted to the top of the Church around 11:30 a.m.
Onlookers held their breath as the steeple swayed precariously in the wind.
“This is the worst part right here,” said Edmée DéJean, a fervent fundraiser for the Save the Steeple Campaign, looking up at the now aloft steeple.
DeJean walked up and down the sidewalk warning people not to worry if the steeple moved back and forth in the air.
As the steeple was firmly secured to its proper place on top of the Church, the 900-pound bell rang out several times to the cheers and applause of the crowd.
The steeple held personal significance to many of watching the spectacle. To some, like Chuck McGregor, 66, of Bremen, it symbolized home.
“I’ve been driving into Damariscotta since I was nine years old,” McGregor said. “Seeing the steeple always meant coming home.”
To those who helped raise the money to repair and lift the steeple, Tuesday’s event signaled the climax of three years hard labor.
“Words can’t explain how I feel,” said Walter Hilton, Chairman of the Steeple Fundraising Committee, “It’s been a long time coming. There has been a lot of ups and downs.”
Many feared that the $500,000 needed to repair and lift the steeple would not be raised before the end of summer.
In late July Hilton had reported that the steeple would not be raised this year as several potential donors reneged on promised donations.
Just as the Save the Steeple Campaign was looking toward 2011, they found an unexpected savior: Maxine L. Wright, 92, of Portland. Wright donated the remaining $35,000 to raise the steeple.
“You are our guardian angel and we’re thankful for that,” said Hilton to Wright as she handed over a ceremonial check commemorating the donation that allowed the steeple to be lifted.
Wright lived in Damariscotta for 30 years, volunteering on numerous occasions at the Miles Memorial Hospital and serving as the Treasurer of the Miles Memorial Hospital League.
She recalled singing Christmas carols at the Church during the holidays with her friends and family.
“I’m 92 years old. All those I loved have gone, but their children are still here. This is for them,” said Wright
Though the steeple has been raised, around $2000 is still required to complete work on the Church’s clock.
Hilton said he was sure that the money will be raised soon. An auction is planned to raise the remaining funds.
For now, Hilton and others are reveling in the moment. A plaque commemorating the raising of the steeple is currently in the works, as is a public celebration in front of the Church and in the parking lot of The First bank.
“It was a great sight, “said Hilton, “It was a very emotional day for everyone involved.”
(Sam Baldwin contributed to the reporting of this story.)
