St. Philip's
Day 2
August 24, 2004

The day began with plans to bring down the bell tower.  3 broken cables later the tower still stood.   It was almost noon before the structure came down.   It was easy to see why it had been so difficult.  Upon closer inspection there were 2 layers of brick.  There was a layer of red brick initially then another layer of the buff colored brick was on the outside.  In the next to the last picture at the bottom of this page you can see the double layer of bricks.  

It was a touching moment when the tower came down.  It seemed to be in slow motion.  The bell had been silent for close to 30 years.  Just before the tower hit the ground the bell sounded.  It was a beautiful ring.  All those present to watch this moment were deeply touched by the toll of the bell.  The bell was carefully removed from the steeple and will be sandblasted and restored.  

The large cross at the top of the steeple also made the fall intact.  It landed only inches from the ground where it would surely have been destroyed.   It remained intact.

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