More space at empty rectory at St. Joachim-St. John’s

The Beacon Historical Society hopes to move from its current location in the former rectory of St. Andrew’s Church on South Avenue to the former rectory of St. Joachim & St. John’s Church on Leonard Street, which became vacant on Sept. 1.

The new building is significantly larger and would give the Historical Society more display space, said Gary Barrack, a member of the society, who spoke to the City Council about the proposal on Aug. 31. As people move to Beacon, the society has received more donations of historic material, he said, and there is greater interest in the city’s history.

The current home of the Beacon Historical Society (left), at 17 South Ave., is the former rectory of the adjacent St. Andrew’s Church. (Google Maps)

Because the proposed location is in Beacon’s historic district, the council must grant a special-use permit before the society can make the move.

The Historical Society relocated to the 2,000-square-foot South Avenue location in 2016 after 20 years at the Howland Cultural Center, where it had 225 square feet. Founded in 1976, it made its first home at the Howland Public Library.

Behind The Story

Type: News

News: Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.

Simms has covered Beacon for The Current since 2015. He studied journalism at Appalachian State University and has reported for newspapers in North Carolina and Maryland. Location: Beacon. Languages: English. Area of expertise: Beacon politics