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Disciples Historical Society sustains severe water damage (5/2/09)
By Ted Parks, DisciplesWorld contributing writer
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (5/2/09) — The Nashville-based Disciples of Christ Historical Society suffered severe water damage the last weekend of April when what the organization believes was a faulty valve in the heating and air-conditioning system allowed gallons of water to pour from top to bottom of the half-century-old Thomas W. Phillips Memorial Archives that houses the society.
Despite the flooding, none of the materials the society houses — including valuable documents not only from the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) but Churches of Christ and Christian Churches / Churches of Christ — was harmed beyond repair, said vice-president for information technology and chief archivist Sara Harwell.
Society president Glenn Carson estimated damage as at least $50,000.
Harwell arrived at the society Sunday night at 10:30 after housekeeping personnel reported the flooding. "The ceilings were literally raining," Harwell said, speculating the leak had been in progress since hours before.
With the building's heating and air-conditioning equipment located in the attic, water tumbled to every level of the structure, pouring through ceilings, walls, and light fixtures. The Phillips Memorial is divided into two sides — one containing three floors that include a lecture hall and offices, and the other six levels of library stacks. "There really was not a single floor on either side of the building that was unaffected," Harwell said.
Harwell explained that she hurried to the society after Carson, who was in Indianapolis, received a call from housekeeping, then phoned her. Around 12:30 a.m., heating and air-conditioning personnel arrived, then shortly after, workers from a cleaning and restoration service, Harwell said.
Carson stressed that though the society had prepared for air-conditioning leaks by installing shut-off equipment, the measures did not prevent the disaster as intended. "We had a system in place to prevent this from happening," he said. "The system failed."
Archivist Harwell was thankful the destruction to facilities did not extensively impact the society's collections, which include 37,000 books, 35,000 biographical files, 25,000 congregational records, and 2,000 audio-visual items, according to the society website.
On Tuesday, staff packaged 115 boxes of damp items, including books, periodicals, church records, and video tape, for shipment to a company in Michigan that freeze-dries archival and museum materials to remove moisture. Out of the 12,000 cubic feet of material the society stores, only about 130 cubic feet of books and other items got wet and required repair, Harwell explained.
"I really feared for ... some of the archival collections," the vice-president said of her reaction upon arriving. But the society's most valuable materials, including irreplaceable items from the earliest years of the Stone-Campbell movement, were spared, Harwell said, crediting recent efforts by the society before the flooding to package crucial holdings in archival boxes resistant to moisture.
With the insurance settlement still pending, Harwell hopes the organization's coverage will take care of the repairs needed to restore facilities. "We really have cause to be thankful to God," Harwell added. "I don't know of many libraries that have been through this level of disaster."
Carson sees the long hours of cleanup as a further expression of the society's mission to safeguard the Disciples' past. "The process that we've been going through this week ... is all a part of the process of keeping our promise," he said. "We keep these treasures of the church safe and secure. And even in the midst of this, ... nothing was lost."
To view more photos of the water damage and clean-up at the Disciples of Christ Historical Society, click here.
