Historic Church Vandalized...

Old Trinity Church, Brooklyn CT:             

On Monday, August 24th our historic pre-revolutionary era church (built in 1771) was broken into by vandals and desecrated. This is a beautiful and unique sacred place of worship. This is one of the oldest Anglican churches that are still active in New England. It was heartbreaking to see the damage. The damage to a historic building like this can never be undone. All we can do is try to repair matching the original as close as possible. News links and photos are below. A history can be found here .

This historic church is usually open to the public during the summer months on Sunday's from 1-4pm. We have been unable to open since the vandalism due to the corrosive dust from fire extinguisher discharge covering everything inside. We also hold at least 2 services over there per year that are open to all. One is a patriotic themed service usually held around Independence Day. The 2nd is my personal favorite: Lessons and Carols via candlelight held near Christmas!

 
Summary of the damage:
-3 windows were damaged
-2 fire extinguishers were intentionally discharged throughout the church covering everything inside with corrosive powder
-A sound system was stolen

Since the church was built in 1771, the windows that were damaged or destroyed will need to be custom made at significant cost. The windows alone are anticipated to cost over $1000 to replace/repair. The replacement windows would include antique glass so that they match the other windows as much as possible. 

The fire extinguisher dust is corrosive and covers everything in the church. It needs to be professionally cleaned up with special equipment. One of the estimates recieved is over $10,000. Luckily we have insurance, but we were informed the deductible for the claim will be $2,500, not $1000 as originally thought. We have recieved several donations already due to the news coverage. Thank you so much for those, but we are still a  long way way from covering the deductible. We are also looking at a possible alarm upgrade which would be about $400-$600 up front for the equipment and an additional monthly monitoring cost.

The sound system  would probably be a little over $200 to replace. 

This incident was carried on the local news stations and radio. I have listed the links to the news stories below.

We would appreciate and be blessed by any financial help to cover the deductible for the repairs and possibly also an alarm upgrade.

Also, if you have any information regarding the incident, please call [phone redacted].

Thank you and God Bless!

Scott Richards
Warden
Trinity Episcopal Church in Brooklyn, CT


News stories:

http://foxct.com/2015/08/25/1771-church-in-brooklyn-conn-vandalized/

http://www.wfsb.com/clip/11793874/brooklyn-church-robbed-and-desecrated

http://wtnh.com/2015/08/25/brooklyn-church-vandalized-again/

http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/Burglars-Smash-Window-of-Historic-Church-Police-322805341.html

http://meredith.worldnow.com/story/29882163/pre-revolutionary-war-era-church-desecrated-by-vandals

http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/Burglars-Smash-Window-of-Historic-Church-Police-322805341.html


Photos before:





Photos after: