First Baptist Church getting steeple makeover

PARKERSBURG — A church celebrating its bicentennial is doing a makeover of a distinctive feature of the downtown landmark.

The First Baptist Church at Ninth and Market streets is making repairs and improvements to the steeple, focusing on the wood and metal base, that was built when the church was constructed in 1878.

The contractor, Murray Sheet Metal, is repairing and replacing weather warn parts of the steeple and replacing them with materials of greater resistance and a longer lifespan, said the Rev. Dr. David Carrico, project coordinator.

“We’re not changing anything,” Carrico said.

Cranes and other equipment are on Market Street where, weather permitting, the work which includes a makeover of the front facade, too, will take about two weeks. The steeple is about 95-feet high.