United States (Illinois) - An act of God dashed the hopes of many people when David and Elizabeth Lehman awoke early Wednesday to see flames dancing from the peak of the roof on the former North Fork Church, 5326 E. North Fork Road. Decatur Fire Department personnel said the fire was consistent with a lightning strike. It burned away the double roof, causing the remains to cave in, shattering the stained-glass windows and leaving the structure a shambles.

The Lehmans bought the church and the adjacent house that had been the minister's residence about three years ago and hoped to restore the structure, which opened for worship in 1917 as a Cumberland Presbyterian congregation.

The church was the Macon County Historical Society Museum from 1970 to 1979. The society's annual Yesteryear Fair, which ended in 2004 after a 34-year run, was held on the church grounds, bringing thousands of people to visit the structure.

Decatur firefighters worked at the scene through the night, and volunteers from the Mid-Illinois Chapter of the American Red Cross provided them with water, coffee and doughnuts.

Firefighters remained on the scene late Wednesday morning, pouring water on potential hot spots, David Lehman said.

"One reason we bought the church was we heard it was in danger of being bulldozed," Lehman said. "We didn't get a chance to restore it."

What the future will hold is uncertain, Lehman said.

"The roof is caved it. There is 3 feet of water in the basement, and all the big windows probably are gone," he said. "I think there are some small ones in the entryway that survived. It doesn't look good."

Decatur Fire Inspector Mike Wigginton said the department received the call at 2:38 a.m., after a security system alarm the Lehmans had installed in the church and house was activated by the blaze.

"He checked the house first and then looked out the window at the church and saw the flames at the peak," Wigginton said. "We're fairly certain that's where the fire started. Cellulose insulation can smolder for hours after a lightning strike. We'll be going back out there later today to continue our investigation."

The church had a steep double roof composed of heavy beams, one set about 4 feet below the other, and each having a ceiling, Wigginton said. It was that area between the two roofs that likely smoldered for hours before flames erupted through the roof, he said.

Lehman said there was lightning in the severe storm that passed through the area late Tuesday afternoon.

Among people upset at hearing of the fire was Cheri Hunter, librarian at the Decatur Genealogical Society.

"It's so sad," Hunter said. "My ancestors started that church. My grandfather, Edwin Davis, took care of the building. Every morning, he'd go there and start the furnace. One Sunday, he trudged through deep snow to start that furnace, and then nobody came to church."

Hunter said her ancestors also included Nathan Baker and his brother, the Rev. William D. Baker, one of the church's pastors.

The North Fork congregation of Cumberland Presbyterian Church was organized by the Rev. John C. Smith on April 14, 1855, in Emerson School.

Fifty-three charter members were from families that had been members of the Mount Zion Cumberland Presbyterian Church who wanted a meeting house closer to their homes. Among those families' surnames were Davis, Baker, Spangler, Wheeler, Dennis, Rucker, Gepford, Travis and Hawks.

The North Fork Church was so named because it was near the north fork of the Sangamon River. The church grounds were donated by Charles Emerson.

The cornerstone of the new church, the one that burned Wednesday, was laid Nov. 21, 1916. The Rev. R.B. Irwin preached the last sermon in the old building on June 10, 1917, and two weeks later, on June 24, the new church was dedicated debt-free.

The church closed in late 1968 and was sold by the Woodland Chapel Presbyterian Church to the Macon County Historical Society in March 1970.

Written by Herald and Review