Muskogee College Working To Repair Longtime Landmark

A Muskogee College damaged by high winds and flooding last December is almost done with rebuilding.

Friday night, Bacone College will rededicate its campus chapel after it sustained water damage and had its windows blow out from the storms.

Pastor Kyle Taylor said, "It is the heart of Bacone - from the late 1880s till now."

Wind and water damaged two buildings at Bacone College in December.

Vice President of Christian Ministries, Leroy Thompson, remembers seeing the damage done to the chapel in the heart of the campus.

"When stained glass windows are blown out of the chapel steeple, and eight inches of rain poured into the building, it was just shocking because the chapel is just such a symbol of the college," Thompson said.

Spring classes went on as planned, although they had to move some classes around while administrators worked to replace windows and walls damaged by the storms.

One college building had rainwater seep into the walls and travel down four floors.

Insurance couldn't cover all of the damage repairs, so now sheets of plywood cover where some of the large stained glass windows used to fit in the chapel's steeple.

The college said private donors are stepping in to help rebuild the church.

"Our budget is extremely tight, so when we get word of these extremely serious damages we knew we had to work hard to repair them and work hard to get the funding to repair them," said Kenneth Adams with the Board of Trustees.

Bacone is known for its Native American Christian mission, and getting its church rebuilt for services and campus events is a priority.

President Franklin Willis said, "It's our prize, it's out landmark here on campus. It's got to be precious to us and everybody."

The college is asking for donations to help finish with the church rebuilding.