For the first time since being relocated, the doors to the London’s Fugitive Slave Chapel were open to the public Saturday.
Delta McNeish is pastor of the Beth Emanuel Church and is overseeing restoration of the chapel. “We wanted the public to come in and start feeling at home here.”
The chapel was once a stop along the Underground Railroad, an effort to shuttle black slaves to freedom.
And visitors say they envision the chapel would also be place of celebration. “You can imagine the singing and the harmony; the music that was coming out of this building.”
As guests would arrive, McNeish pointed out historic relics from the chapel that was built in 1848. “Look at it. It’s so old. It survived all these years, but there’s love. There’s a lot of love in this place.”
But the restoration effort has been steeped in controversy. Earlier this year a chapel preservation committee was dissolved by the church. In April, a member of that committee, Genet Hodder, told the City of London’s London Advisory Committee on Heritage that she was “…concerned about the future of the historic building.”
And there have been questions raised about how well project has been managed.
McNeish responds, “The model moving forward must be one of respect, and they reciprocate.”
McNeish says to complete the restoration of the chapel will require another $200,000 to $300,000.
