The Peace United Church of Christ dining hall at the Morrow County Fairgrounds is demolished by a crew last week in Mount Gilead.
Alberta Stojkovic | AIM Media Midwest
Many good memories of wonderful meals and homemade pie are connected with the Peace United Church of Christ Dining Hall at the Morrow County Fairgrounds. However, even the constant rain on Aug. 15 didn’t stop the demolition crew from taking the building down.
Mount Gilead Mayor Donna Carver said it will be remembered for the delicious meals of meatloaf, chicken and noodles, sandwiches, and homemade pies enjoyed by fairgoers through the years. Some will remember it as the place where they took their driver’s test when the fair wasn’t going on. It was also used for a time by Martha Douce as a dance studio.
Carver said the building was slated for demolition after it was flooded several times, vandalized, and stripped of its copper pipe. Finally, there was mold and mildew as well as electrical issues that plagued the building.
Morrow County Director of Operations Jamie Brucker said the demolition was entirely funded by a state grant. The project is one of three demolition projects in the county funded by the state for blighted and vacant structures.
The three buildings in the county covered by the $351,114 grant are the fairgrounds dining hall, the white, two-story house between the courthouse and Chase Bank on East High Street, and two barns at the Flying Squirrel Preserve.
Brucker said the fair board plans to keep this area as green space for the present time. No plans for building something new have been shared with the county commissioners at this location.
Alberta Stojkovic is a correspondent for the Morrow County Sentinel.
