04/25/2023
In 2021, a devastating EF4 tornado tore through the city of Mayfield, Kentucky.
Many of the city's downtown buildings were heavily damaged, including the historic St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church, which suffered a collapsed roof and two severely damaged walls.
With help from the Kentucky Heritage Council - SHPO, the church received the first Rapid Response Emergency grant from the Preserving Black Churches (PBC) program, created by the National Trust’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, with leadership support from Lilly Endowment Inc.
A group of national experts advised on ways to mitigate future extreme weather and climate change impacts on this small but mighty church.
Today, St. James AME Church Mayfield, KY remains one of the few historic resources actively being preserved in Mayfield, making it a symbol of resilience and hope for the entire city.
Read more about this rehabilitation and reconstruction project: http://ow.ly/UUQh50NP2zm
Pictured: View of St. James AME Church in 2023. Both the south and north wall—shown here—will be reconstructed using historic bricks that were salvaged on site immediately after the storm. Photo courtesy St. James AME Church.