<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1576686341859.jpeg" alt="The Ellis County Historical Society is considering tearing down the brick former First Presbyterian Church on the left due to mold problems." />
 <figcaption>The Ellis County Historical Society is considering tearing down the brick former First Presbyterian Church on the left due to mold problems.</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>"As stewards of our community's history, it would be ironic if the historical society tore down a church" — Mayor Henry Schwaller</h2>By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays PostThe Ellis County Historical Society is fighting time and water. However, a solution to saving important community artifacts could mean tearing down a beloved community landmark.The historical society had to move out of its home at the historic First Presbyterian Church because of a mold issue. The humidity in the building and seeping walls in the former church have not only damaged artifacts, but was also making historical society staff and volunteers sick.The historical society also has items in storage at the Hays Daily News building at 507 Main. That area of the building is experiencing significant roof leakage.&nbsp;&nbsp;The historical society has asked Gannett, the owners of the property, to fix the problem, but they have not done so,&nbsp;Lee Dobratz, historical society director, said during a report to the Hays City Commission on Dec. 12.The Hays Post attempted to reach the regional manager for Gannett, but a phone call was not returned.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1576618149305.jpeg" alt="A view of inside the Hays Daily News building where historical society artifacts are being stored. The roof is leaking and damaging artifacts that are bing stored inside. Courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>A view of inside the Hays Daily News building where historical society artifacts are being stored. The roof is leaking and damaging artifacts that are bing stored inside. Courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>The historical society started renting the space at the Daily News when it inherited items from the Sternberg Museum when it changed its mission.&nbsp;This has left the historical society in a search of a new storage location to move the artifacts to as soon as possible before the items stored at the newspaper office are damaged any further."It already smells bad, because the water is coming in and soaking the wooden objects. Until we can move it out, there is nothing we can do," Dobratz said. "Our hands are tied."&nbsp;Dobratz told the commission she thinks the historical society has secured an alternative location to move the items from the Sternberg collection that are now housed at the Hays Daily News offices."Once all of the details are in place, we will move as quickly as we can to try to save what we can," she said.The long-term solution to the historical society's woes is to build a new museum complex.&nbsp;Design plans from Nabholz Construction that were distributed to the city commission Dec. 12 show a new entry, gallery, events plaza, archives, library and storage building.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1576622506763.png" alt="One plan for a new historical society complex includes demolition of the historic brick First Presbyterian Church." />
 <figcaption>One plan for a new historical society complex includes demolition of the historic brick First Presbyterian Church.</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1576622608917.png" alt="A view of the proposed new historical society complex from Seventh Street." />
 <figcaption>A view of the proposed new historical society complex from Seventh Street.</figcaption>
 </figure>The Volga German house and the stone chapel would remain, but the plans call for tearing down the historic First Presbyterian Church.Dobratz said renovating the brick church would cost $10 million to $11 million, which the historical society does not have. Even if the building was renovated, it would still not have the storage space that the society needs.The historic Presbyterian Church was purchased by the historical society in 1974.&nbsp;"When it was bought, the forefathers and mothers who got the organization going never intended that location to actually be the museum," Dobratz said. "They knew it didn't fit, but it was something they could afford at the time to start gathering collections and materials."When Dobratz first took her position four years ago at the historical society, she was told the building needed a whole new roof, but the historical society did not have money to fix it.Earlier this year, the church lost a 4-foot-square chunk of plaster from an upstairs wall because of leakage from the roof.However, during a recent insurance inspection, the problem that was causing the leak was discovered and it was quickly fixed.The historical society has known for years there was mold in the subbasements of the historic Presbyterian Church. This has been caused by water seeping inside the subbasement walls.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1576622435979.png" alt="An artifact that has been infected with mold. Historical Society Director Lee Dobratz estimates the society has at least 10,000 items that have been affected by mold and need to be cleaned ." />
 <figcaption>An artifact that has been infected with mold. Historical Society Director Lee Dobratz estimates the society has at least 10,000 items that have been affected by mold and need to be cleaned .</figcaption>
 </figure>The historical society was running dehumidifiers, but that was not keeping up with the moisture.Although the the historical society has moved its staff and some of its most frequently used archives to an office at 1111 East 30th, the Presbyterian Church with its mold problem is still being used for storage. The historical society is trying to box items with lids to try to stop the progression of the mold.Dobratz said all of the collection items and archives that are being kept at the brick church are going to have to be emptied out of the building.&nbsp;The society has about 10,000 items in the subbasements of the brick church. Each item will have to be looked at and cleaned separately. Items that have been exposed to mold can't be stored next to clean items, because the mold can spread.Mayor Henry Schwaller said he opposes any attempt to tear down the church, noting it was the first organized church in Hays.&nbsp;There is a portion of the community that is interested in saving the church, and there is a concern the church is not being maintained, he said.Dobrtaz said utilities are being maintained to the building.&nbsp;Commissioner Sandy Jacobs asked Dobratz if the historical society is fundraising.&nbsp;The historical society is raising about $10,000 to $15,000 per year, and has brought in about $25,000 in grants over four years, Dobratz said."I am surprised at that low number," Jacobs said. "I would expect a lot more. I think the community would be willing to help."Leading up to Dobratz's tenure, which started in 2016, when the society needed to complete major repairs, a specific benefactor was asked to donate the money necessary to complete the project."We don't have a history of regular contributions. They are just project-specific contributions," she said. "I have a great fundraising committee right now that is starting new programming."The historical society also plans to start an endowment campaign. The museum currently has an endowment of about $220,000, but it doesn't cover maintenance.Jacobs said she also did not want to see the Presbyterian Church torn down."I stood in front of the post office and watched them tear down the opera house," she said. "I promised myself that night that we weren't going to tear down any more buildings in this town. ..."The thought of losing that disturbs me."Schwaller said because of the Chestnut Street Historic District that covers downtown Hays, both the brick and stone churches are protected."The brick building is historical," he said. "It is historically protected, and when the historical society applied for designation in 1976, we were told the church was too young, that is why the stone church was only initially covered."He added, "The church is important to me, because I was baptized there, my father, my grandfather. My great-grandfather's funeral was there."Schwaller also noted he hated to see the opera house torn down and suggested the building could have been saved had the roof and the foundation been repaired.He suggested if the historical society does not want to use the church then the society should sell the building.&nbsp;"I would do anything I can personally to raise money," Schwaller said.&nbsp;Dobratz said the society is not considering taking down the brick church because they don't like it. It is because of cost, a business decision and a history decision, she said.Schwaller said, "As stewards of our community's history, it would be ironic if the historical society tore down a church."

Historical society faces artifact damage, considers church demo