SMARTSVILLE CHURCH

RESTORATION FUND, INC.

PO Box 374

Smartsville, CA 95977

Tax Exempt I.D. No. 68-0412321

INTRODUCTION TO THE SMARTSVILLE CHURCH ARTICLE ON THE YUBA ROOTS WEBSITE

7-9-2007 
 
To many people familiar with the historic sites in Yuba and Nevada counties, restoration of the historic Church of the Immaculate Conception is the most important community project in Smartsville.  Not only is it the center-piece of the town, it is directly connected to the town’s fascinating past, and ultimately will be used for community functions.  More than 40 years have passed since the church was regularly maintained and the neglect is visible.  This historic photograph shows the interior as it was while it was a functioning church.  

Smartsville in the 1860’s and 70s was a thriving town serving a local gold mining community and an important stop on the stagecoach route from Marysville to Rough & Ready, Grass Valley and Nevada City.  Among the workers at the numerous Smartsville hydraulic mining operations were Irish immigrants who constructed a Catholic church there in 1861.  That building was destroyed by fire in 1870 and in just one year a new structure, the Church of the Immaculate Conception, still standing today, was erected to take its place.  These two photographs (below) show the building as it was constructed just after the fire of  1870 (before the bell tower was added) and as it was at the turn of the century.     

In the 1960s the church ceased to be used for religious purposes and was, in effect, abandoned.  Years of neglect took their toll on the church.  Several groups tried, from time to time, to perform badly needed maintenance and repairs but could not sustain the effort required.  In 1998, local resident Bill Ross had an idea.  He convinced the Sacramento Diocese to donate the building and land to a group of concerned citizens.  Thus SCRFI (Smartsville Church Restoration Fund, Inc.) was formed with non-profit status to save and restore the historic structure.  The goal of SCRFI is to save the building, promote its historic significance, and to utilize the building for community (non-religious) purposes. 

The following newsletter gives a current status report on the progress of SCRFI.

 

 SUMMER 2007 NEWSLETTER 

CONSTRUCTION REPORT 

With the east wall of the church jacked up and the building reasonably level and plumb a new roof was installed in 2003.  Then, with the wall still supported by jacks, we started on the foundation. 

Prolonged periods of being wet, as a result of a leaking roof, left the timber sill plate and the bottom ends of most of the studs severely rotted along the east wall.  The challenge was to install a new sill plate and repair the studs.  But, as if that was not enough, the 130-year-old foundation was judged by engineers as being incapable of handling lateral loads from high winds or earthquakes. 

After a lot of thought we came up with a scheme to utilize the existing rock wall foundation to carry the weight of the building.  A new reinforced concrete beam would replace the rotted sill plate and would transfer lateral loads to the corners of the building.  New timber would be spliced onto the existing studs and securely attached to the top of the new concrete beam.  This solution was not expensive and, best of all, could be accomplished in short sections. 

By the summer of last year we had installed two 16-foot sections of the concrete beam, with Stewart Smith and Rodney Ivie doing most of the work, but we were unable to continue doing the work ourselves.  And until the foundation was finished, Rice Brothers House Movers would not be able to remove their jacks and cribbing to use on other projects.  Joe Rice, always patient and helpful, suggested we call Ted Holmes, a Yuba City contractor.  

Fortunately Ted was able to find some time between his other jobs to help us finish the foundation on the entire east wall.  The jacks and cribbing are now removed and the building is again resting on the foundation.  Rodney Ivie and Steve Winchell finished the stud re-attachments and replaced the east wall siding. 

PLANS FOR THE NEXT PHASE 

Two projects are being considered: the first is to straighten the bell tower and improve its foundation; the second will be to continue the foundation repairs to the remainder of the building perimeter. 

It is not obvious without looking carefully, but we believe that the church was not constructed initially with a bell tower.  That is why the foundations of these two parts of the building are not the same.  We have a photograph of the building without the bell tower and what appears to be the bell mounted in a separate structure in back of the church.  Since the bell was made in San Francisco in 1878 and the steeple was added to the bell tower in 1895, the bell tower must have been added to the front of the building during that time period. 

We believe that the bell tower should be professionally jacked into alignment and braced while a new foundation is constructed.  Since the tower faces south its siding has weathered significantly. 

Our plan for continuing the foundation repair starts with the north wall that is very close to the N.I.D. irrigation ditch.  We believe that a five-foot high stemwall along the back of the building will solve several problems and can be constructed in short sections so that only parts of the north wall need be jacked and supported as the work is done.

      

FINANCES 

The roof work cost approximately $25,000 and the foundation work already completed cost about $6,000.  Because we didn’t have quite enough money in the bank when we received the bid for the roof work, we made a desperate plea for help.  Donations from a number of generous individuals enabled us to pay for the roof.  And, over the next few years, we accumulated enough money to complete the foundation work on the east wall. 

Now, however, having depleted our bank account to pay for supporting the east wall, we must find ways to raise enough money to finance the remainder of the foundation work. 

COST ESTIMATES 

We believe that we can accomplish our next two objectives, the north wall foundation and the bell tower straightening and foundation work, for approximately $50,000. 

As before, we will try to figure out ways to accomplish the work efficiently and in small sections.  In that way we can do the work as we acquire funding; but it also means that the work cannot be done quickly.  Hiring a contractor to do major portions of the work would be very nice, but financially prohibitive. 

FUTURE ACTIVITIES 

Twice during the past five years we have sponsored events at the church in Smartsville.  These events featured food, crafts, tours of the church, a raffle, and music by the famous Fruit Jar Pickers of Rough and Ready.  Unfortunately, because of our temporary shortage in personnel, we have not established the date for the next event, but we do want to continue that tradition. 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS 

We presently have only three members on our board which is intended to have seven.  Because of this shortfall in personnel, everything is more difficult.  New board members with energy, vision, and perhaps construction experience are badly needed. 

DONATIONS 

We are appealing to the community and to our friends who have helped us in the past to help us again.  Donations in the form of cash are critically needed.  Other types of donations such as materials, time as a volunteer or board member, or simply a referral, are always welcome. 

All donations to help us restore this historic, former church building are tax deductible.  Checks can be made out to SCRFI.  Our tax I.D. number and address are listed at the top of the page.

CONTACT 

Please call Kit Burton at (530) 743-0413 if you would like more information or have questions.