Pictured is the Family Church Fredonia as the steeple was being replaced a few weeks ago. File photo

Since 1891, the village clock housed in Family Church Fredonia’s steeple has been a beautiful and beloved part of Barker Common’s skyline.

When a fire damaged the steeple and clock last May, the community felt the loss of this important piece of history, and Family Church Fredonia has been counting down the hours until the new clock will be installed.

That day will be today.

On July 10, the new steeple was installed in three parts with a crane, and the same crane will be used to install the clock today beginning at about 8 a.m. The clock has a single seven-feet face and is made by the same Ohio-based company that manufactured the clock that was damaged in the fire. The LED backlit clock will be installed on the south side of the church steeple facing Barker Common, Associate Pastor Scott Wise explained.

“We don’t know when exactly it will be lit up or working just yet,” Wise said. “Parts of the church building don’t have electricity yet, so that will affect whether or not the clock is operational on Thursday.”

The village’s original 1891 clock was too large to be installed in Fredonia Village Hall, so it was housed in the church’s steeple and replaced in the early 2000s.

“While in the past, the village of Fredonia has maintained ownership of the clocks in our building based on an agreement worked out in 1891, this clock will be owned and operated entirely by Family Church, and was a large portion of our costs exceeding insurance coverage,” said Wise in a press release.

Since the church purchased the building in 2017, they have made significant investments in the 166-year-old structure, known originally as the Fredonia Baptist Church.

In two years, Family Church Fredonia invested approximately $1.3 million to preserve and restore their new building, including reinforcing the roof, upgrading the electricity, and installing a new state-of-the-art sound and IT system.

While the May 4, 2018 fire was a significant setback, efforts to restore the church have been steady ever since, and Senior Pastor Michael Lokietek and Wise are excited to be nearing the finish line. Over the past year, upgrades have included a new steel roof instead of shingles, a high-efficiency air conditioning system, heating system improvements and a total redesign of the sanctuary layout, which pays homage to the original two-door entry, as well as a ceiling that is both visually and acoustically beautiful. The new steeple, too, pays homage to the building’s long history, as it resembles the steeple when the church was built in 1853.

Those interested in contributing toward the clock installation project can send a tax-deductible donation to Family Church Restoration, P.O. Box 179, Fredonia, New York 14063 or donate online at gofundme.com/fredonia-clocktower.