Grandview Apostolic Church

Grandview Apostolic Church was a historic church building in Brown County, Indiana, United States. Built in 1892 along Grandview Ridge Road near the community of New Bellsville,[1] it lay in far eastern Van Buren Township.[2] The church was a frame structure with a facade that featured a steeple,[3] while the interior consisted of only a single room.[4]

Grandview Church
Site of the church after its destruction
Nearest cityNew Bellsville, Indiana
Coordinates39°7′28″N 86°5′4″W
Area1.3 acres (0.53 ha)
Built1892
Architectural styleGable front
NRHP reference No.91001160[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPSeptember 13, 1991
Removed from NRHPSeptember 29, 2010

A part of the denomination known as the Apostolic Church,[5] Grandview Apostolic was the second oldest existing church building in Brown County.[6] It closed during the twentieth century, but a congregation was restarted there in the early 1990s, and the building remained in active use by that congregation until 2010.[7] In 1991, the church building and two related structures, plus the cemetery, were added to the National Register of Historic Places because of their place in local history and because of their well-preserved historic architecture.[1] Such a distinction is unusual; both cemeteries and religious properties must pass higher hurdles than most other types of properties in order to qualify for inclusion on the National Register.[8]

The church before its destruction; note its small size and prominent steeple

Before dawn on July 14, 2010, a neighbor called firefighters to report that the church was burning,[6] prompting a response from firefighters from the Hamblen Township, Fruitdale, Nashville, and Van Buren Township volunteer fire departments.[9] Little more than half an hour after the initial emergency call, the fire was under control, but the church had already been destroyed;[6] the only thing saved was the pastor's Bible.[10] Determined to continue as a congregation, the church's forty-five members later decided to take the name of "New Beginnings Church" and began worshipping elsewhere.[11]

Within two weeks of the church's destruction, seven teenage residents of Columbus, Indiana were arrested and charged with arson. One of the seven admitted setting the fire; according to him, the group committed the act as the result of a days-long planning process. Claiming that the group burned the church while under the influence of LSD, he stated that they had believed Grandview Apostolic Church to be a community of Satan worshippers.[12]

On September 29, 2010, the National Park Service withdrew the church's historic site status.[13]

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. DeLorme. Indiana Atlas & Gazetteer. 3rd ed. Yarmouth: DeLorme, 2004, 51. ISBN 0-89933-319-2.
  3. 2 Teens Arrested in Connection with Church Fire, WIBC, 2010-07-22. Accessed 2010-10-09.
  4. Prosecutor: Arrests made in church arson UPDATED 5:36 p.m. Archived 2011-07-08 at the Wayback Machine, Brown County Democrat, 2010-07-22. Accessed 2010-10-09.
  5. Grandview Apostolic Church Burnt by Arsonist Archived 2010-12-03 at the Wayback Machine, Apostolic News, 2010-07-15. Accessed 2010-10-09.
  6. Arson suspected in Grandview Church fire UPDATED Archived 2011-07-08 at the Wayback Machine, Brown County Democrat, 2010-07-14. Accessed 2010-10-09.
  7. Grandview Church plans outdoor Sunday Service, Brown County Democrat, 2010-07-16. Accessed 2010-10-09.
  8. National Register Criteria for Evaluation, National Park Service. Accessed 2010-10-09.
  9. Grandview Apostolic Church Fire Determined Arson, Indiana State Fire Marshal's Office, 2010-07-14. Accessed 2010-10-09.
  10. Brown County church destroyed by fire, WXIN, 2010-07-14. Accessed 2010-10-09.
  11. Police arrest two teens in church arson investigation, WTHR, 2010-08-04. Accessed 2010-10-09.
  12. INVESTIGATORS: Teens take LSD, burn Indiana church, WDRB, 2010-08-02. Accessed 2010-10-09.
  13. Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 9/27/10 Through 10/01/10, National Park Service, 2010-10-08. Accessed 2010-10-09.
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