Copperopolis Community Center: The Old Church

The Copperopolis Community Center

The CCC (Copperopolis Community Center was officially established January 19,1940 as a non-profit corporation to promote activities that benefited the community by a group of volunteers comprised of founding families and residents of Copperopolis. Through the efforts of the CCC two publicly owned buildings in Copperopolis have been preserved; the Armory and the brick Congregational Church, and both buildings have the honor of being recognized on the National Register of Historic Places and the California Register of Historical Resources. In addition, the CCC strives to preserve historical archives, artifacts, and has developed a Copperopolis history program for the local Copperopolis Elementary School.

The CCC is comprised of community volunteers, including a seven-member Board of Directors and individual, family and business sponsors. If you would like to become a CCC sponsor click HERE to download a printable PDF form.

The Old Church was built on a lot purchased in 1865 for $1,200. The Church was built by the Congregational Society for a total of $12,000; it was dedicated on June 23, 1866 by Reverend Beckwith, who came from San Francisco for the occasion.
When the demand for copper declined, the mines closed and the population of Copperopolis decreased, as did the church membership. So in 1903 the Mineral Lodge of the International Order of Odd Fellows purchased the building and changed the inside of the building for their purposes. In 1939, the Odd Fellows donated the building to the Copperopolis Community Center (CCC), a group formed at that time especially for the purpose of maintaining and preserving the building. The Old Church has been in their care for more than 60 years.
The building is made from clay brick, some of which came from the town of Columbia’s buildings which were burned down after a fire and also bricks from buildings that were torn down to mine for gold underneath them. The differences in the brick are notable and it can be determined which ones come from a building that burned. Another interesting point that we recently learned: In 1999 the CCC had an engineering structural study made of the building to find out what needed to be done to reinforce and renovate the building. One of the things they found out was that the roof is not—and apparently never had been—attached to the building itself.
The Old Church building is 60 feet by 30 feet and built in an architecture style called Gothic Revival. Two features that stand out are the windows and the steeple. The Gothic-style windows are believed to be the oldest example of this type in California. The steeple once was much, much taller; however, due to a leak in the roof, the Odd Fellows lowered it to its present-day height.
Located in the steeple is the old church bell, which still works. Charlie and Rhoda Stone worked hard for many years to preserve this building. It was through their efforts that the building was placed on the National Register of Historical Places and the California Register of Historical Resources on December 30, 1997. These buildings, worthy of protection and preservation, are an important part of our history and culture—not only for our local area, but in our nation, as well. There is a plaque located on the north wall of the building to commemorate this event.

This excerpt from the History of Copperopolis courtesy of the “School Tour” notes by Linda Beck, with permission taken directly from "Tools Are On The Bar" by Charlie and Rhoda Stone.