Members of Ghost Towns In Oklahoma Come Together To Repair Historical Bakery
It's a disappointment when individuals find it necessary to desecrate history and attack the religious aspects of our culture. What is uplifting is when members of the group come together and repair that damage.
“Desecration is not the end. Desecration is what we use as the rebirth of our beginnings. ”
On December 3rd, 2022 members of the Ghost Towns In Oklahoma group came together to help Fr. Adrian and Christian. Our goal was to clean off graffiti that painted on the interior walls of the bakery. In talking with the Fr. Adrian and Christian during the months leading up to the December 3rd they related how, over the years, vandalism had befallen the mission at an increasing rate. Statues that once adorned the grounds have been moved to safer locations for display. Treasure hunters have left holes in the ground searching for artifacts and precious metals. Caretakers left as they were threatened with violence. Installed cameras destroyed almost as soon as they were installed vandals destroyed them.
By the time we finished the tour of the property I was already forming a plan to help restore the bakery and remove the graffiti. Over the next week we messaged and decided on a date, December 3rd, to do the repairs and removal.
The Damage
The main problem we had is that the interior walls of the bakery are stucco, which absorbs paint because of the age. As you can tell from the images there has been multiple vandals and attempts to cover the damage were made.
After a couple meetings with the paint experts at Lowe's paint that would give us the best coverage and keep graffiti from showing was chosen.
As the day to do the repairs approached I began to worry about the weather. The weather report kept changing from mild weather to severe with each day and temps would be below the recommended 50 degree minimum for the paint to properly set and dry. We decided to bring a couple kerosene heaters to bring the temp up to an acceptable level.
On the day of the repairs it would seem that someone was on our side. The weather was fantastic and the temp was just above 50. With the heaters we were able to keep the temp in the main floor of the bakery at close to 60 degrees.
With the help of the volunteers from the group we were able to clean, prep and paint almost all of the the main room of the bakery by mid afternoon. The stucco was a bit more absorbent than anticipated. We were about a 1/2 gallon short.
With only a few spots left Christian, the caretaker, and I talked and it was decided that I would return what supplies we had not used and pick up another 2 gallons of paint. With so little work left it was decided that Christian and myself could finish it up quickly the next morning. The Finished Repairs
The group did a fantastic job and Fr. Adrian and Christian passes on their heart felt thanks to everyone that came out. There is still a lot of work left to do on the bakery including a new roof, water damage walls repaired and replaced, new window covering to keep vandals out and reinforcing the floor from the basement.
The mission has $10,000 approved for the roof, but due to constantly increasing prices the cost is now estimated at $20,000. It has been suggested that Fr. Adrian look into setting up a gofundme page and check into grants from the Oklahoma Historical Society for the additional funds that will be needed.