COASTLINES LINES VOLUME 23 // ISSUE 2 // Summer 2023
REAVES CHAPEL RESTORATION
W
hen the Coastal Land Trust purchased Reaves Chapel in Navassa in 2019, we embarked on a project unlike any we had done before. The protection of this historic, 1,100 square-foot church in Brunswick County expanded how we conserve special places and who benefits from our conservation work. It is one of the Cape Fear region’s most culturally and historically significant African American structures, with deep ties to the Gullah Geechee peoples. Over the last 4 years, we’ve stopped holding our breath during each passing hurricane and now gaze in awe at the beautiful Chapel.
Restoration Progress After the Coastal Land Trust purchased the Chapel from the A.M.E. Church, a tarp was installed on the roof to prevent further damage and fencing
was installed to deter vandalism. Staff from the Coastal Land Trust, Cedar Hill/West Bank Heritage Foundation, and the Historic Wilmington Foundation then partnered to research and document the history of the site, both to spread its story and to guide future restoration work. Restoration began in November 2021 as community members gathered to acknowledge, celebrate, and bless the work. Soon after, the bell tower was removed, the building lifted, the foundation rebuilt, walls opened and structural components added, and rotting siding replaced. Original elements were kept wherever possible and new items, such as windows and exterior siding, were custom-made to match the original design of the building. The roof was restored and the adjacent cemetery was spruced up.
Above: Careful attention to detail, such as custom-made siding, is an important part of honoring the history of Reaves Chapel. Photo courtesy Steven Cox
Left: An early step in the restoration process was lifting the building and replacing the foundation.
REAVES, continued on page 4
Staff Photo
NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AT COASTAL LAND TRUST
T
he Coastal Land Trust Board of Directors is excited to announce Harrison Marks as Executive Director. Harrison served as Interim Executive Director since September 2022. A committed supporter of the organization, he brings a wealth of experience from a career in both the corporate and nonprofit sectors. Harrison has a strong connection to the North Carolina coast going back to his youth. “My earliest memories are from family vacations at Nags Head and Kitty Hawk, and being awestruck by the performance of the Lost Colony. I inherited my Dad’s endless pleasure of driving backroads through the pine forests of the coastal plain, and my wife and I are most at home when we have a view of the marsh or the water,” said Harrison.
Harrison Marks was selected as the new Executive Director of the Coastal Land Trust.
CoastalLandTrust.org
Harrison attended Dartmouth College, earning a degree in Biogeography and served as co-chair of the newly formed Environmental Studies Division of the Dartmouth Outing Club. He had a long and successful career as a senior executive for Wachovia Bank, leading multiple groups Staff Photo
DIRECTOR, continued on page 4
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