SOUTHERN PINES - During the Great Depression, Amanda "Aunt Sis" Gilliand went without a new coat so she could donate to the building fund at Brownson Memorial Presbyterian Church, local historians say. Children collected pennies in wooden barrels to pay the contractors who worked under the church's pay-as-you-go philosophy, records show. The donations were so appreciated that those who bought a piece of the communion set or a light were recognized in church records.

"This church was built sacrificially," said Elaine Sills, a member of the congregation. "I think they counted every kitchen towel because it was so hard to come by." But Brownson Chapel - the church's first sanctuary - is slated to become the sacrificial lamb as church leaders look for a place to build nearly $4
million worth of classrooms and offices. Some members of the nearly 1,200 strong congregation and historic preservationists have banded together in an effort to save the chapel. But the congregation might not be able to fix a potentially dangerous mold problem in the building and a leaky basement. Dorothy Shankle was the first person baptized in the chapel.

She remembers when receptions, synod meetings, family night suppers, Christmas parties and Sunday school classes were held in the 1930s-era basement. "The basement was used heavily and on a regular basis," she said in a
telephone interview. "That's why I'm sure there was not a water problem early on." The basement hasn't been used since the summer of 2004, said Pastor Grady Perryman. Around that time, a firm the church hired concluded there was mold in the basement and anyone who attempted to clean it should be careful, Perryman said. He would not name the firm or say what type of mold was found. "We did not want to try to address it because we were taking the report from the firm seriously," he said. On Wednesday, about 10 members of the congregation met with two historic
preservationists from Raleigh who came to evaluate whether the basement damage could be repaired.

Jeff Adolphsen, of the State Historic Preservation Office, and Cathleen Turner, of the nonprofit Historic Preservation Foundation of North Carolina Inc., said they did not see any mold. They did see a water ring extending up from the floor and around the perimeter of the basement. They recommended the church hire a geologist or soil engineer to find out where the water was coming from.

"I am not sure exactly what needs to be done," Adolphsen said. Although the chapel is not listed on the National Historic Register and is not included in the town's historic district, both preservationists called the building historic. They said they would like to see it saved, but its fate rests with the church members.

"No one delights in thinking of that building coming down," said Perryman, "but if that's the only way we can see to meet the needs of this church, some people would consider that an option."

Church members say Perryman has steered activities away from the chapel because he wants to distance the congregation from the building in the hopes they will forget about its history and support its destruction. They accuse
him of spearheading the office project, but Perryman said office and classroom space ranked high on a space study conducted by the church's governing body.

"We just need some rooms that provide us with a variety of space we don't presently have," he said.

The church plans to solicit donations from its members for the new building, Perryman said. Final plans have not been presented to church members. "If there's no (financial) support for this, it won't happen," he said. The new building is part of an estimated $6.7 million two-phase building project. The most recent draft calls for construction of 150 parking spaces and renovation of another building.

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