St. John's, Halifax, ready to show off their new look

 

St. John's, Halifax, has just completed and $200,000 renovation of their church and parish house and will be showing them off to the community this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. St. John's, a Greek Revival building erected in 1844, has a rich history. Veterans from almost every American-fought war lie in the church's cemetery. One of the church's rectors, the Rev. Charles Dresser, married President Abraham Lincoln and his wife Mary Todd.  

The extensive renovations at St. John's preserve the church's past while helping it to move forward into the 21st century. Among the many improvements to the structure, was making the church and parish house completely handicap-accessible. "Essentially, we've redone that building from top to bottom," said the Rev. Cleon Ross, interim rector. "There's no part of the building that hasn't been touched. "

The open house on Saturday will include tours of the church, parish house and cemetery. A dedication and blessing for both the church and parish house will take place on Sunday.