Gruenberg Lutheran Church hall at Moculta has been re-roofed and, in the process, revealed an interesting snapshot of the past.
Church treasurer and congregation member for the past 47 years, Mr Mick Koch said Roman numerals etched into the wooden trusses were revealed after the old iron was removed.
“It’s your original kit home!” he said.
“All those trusses coming down, they are numbered in order, in Roman numerals. Down the bottom, also halfway up where the middle truss comes across and then up the top as well. “And if you look up the top, you’ve got spigots holding it all together - no nails.”
However, lines of modern nails, believed to date back to the sixties or seventies, were found hammered into cross pieces.
“We are not really sure why they’re there… they are all spaced evenly across the beams.”
Built in 1859, the hall was used as the church before the existing one was built in 1864. On weekdays the building was used as a school.
Since then, it has undergone a number of transformations. Internal walls have come and gone as it was used for different purposes, including pastor’s accommodation at one stage.
The original thatched roof is long gone and the late Reg Munchenberg, in his extensive research on the history of the church, found references in three family history books to the fact the old hall was built by church members.
Roofing contractor, Mr Phil Slotegraaf said re-roofing a building of such historic significance was certainly one of the more interesting jobs he had done during his twenty years in the trade. “It’s one of the oldest ones, that’s for sure,” he said.
“It looks like a really early German frame structure… What is interesting is the coded numbers and all the peg construction.
“Where was it made? Was it made locally or pre-fabricated in the city or somewhere else and then brought here? I don’t know what they had years ago, whether they had any sort of machinery to fabricate it.
“I’ve never seen anything like this, it’s pretty good and the old pug and straw ceiling, that’s over 100 millimetres thick.”
As for the more modern roofing nails, Phil isn’t sure of their significance either, but he does offer one suggestion.
“I’m not sure… maybe it was witches!” he laughed.
Roman numerals etched onto the old timber frame work were an interesting find.
Whatever the reason, Phil enjoyed stepping back in history as he installed additional purlins to the 45 degree pitch roof to take the weight of the new iron.
“I did the church as well… that’s got an arched ceiling, all matchboard in an arch frame, that was interesting.”
Needless to say, there have been many photographs taken for the records to document the major restoration project.
Mick said the congregation received $8,750 through round one of the SA Heritage Grants programme to re-roof the existing church which houses a pulpit gifted by George Fife Angas and pews and other woodwork crafted by Wilhelm Schaedel, but they missed out on the round two grant they applied for to assist with the hall.
It means the church will fund the rest of the restoration project themselves.
“It’s a thirty odd thousand dollar project so we’re looking for donations!” said Mick.
