CAMDEN — Just as the early morning risers were making their way downtown to French and Brawn for their 6 a.m. coffee and a stroll, the crew working on the Chestnut Street Baptist Church steeple renovations, including replacement of the top spire, were taking the final steps needed to detach the spire and hoist it down to the ground. A handful of people were gathered on the steps of the post office, but by 8:30 the crowd had grown much larger as it appeared the crane was about the bring it down.

The steeple consists of the spire, which is the very top, also called the “duncecap,” which workers were going to cut off today and bring it down onto Chestnut Street. From there, the spire was to be cut up and taken away.

At around 8:30 a.m., workers finally finished cutting the spire free from the steeple, and it was time to lift it off. Slowly making its way up, the crane moved the spire away from the building and scaffolding and positioned it above the street. And slowly, the spire was lowered until it rested on the pavement, and the crowd erupted in applause and cheers.

A new spire is coming that has been built by Lyman Morse out of composite, or fiberglass. Once the spire is cut off, there is a lot of timber framing work to do inside that goes from the clocks down to the lower level of the steeple. That work includes straightening the steeple, which is reportedly leaning as much as 12 inches due to some broken beams.

After all of the structural work is done inside, workers will take all the cedar shingles off, all the trim and then putting all new shingles and trim back on.

The steeple’s clocks also were in need of repair, and they are currently in Freeport at Balzer Family Clock Works, the “only tower clock makers in the U.S.,” according to their website as attributed to clockworks historian Donn Haven Lathrop. They are also reportedly the only company that does the kind of rebuild the Chestnut Street Baptist Church’s clocks require.

A Camden landmark, the church’s steeple has been home to the official town clock since 1868. The steeple overlooks the village green, and can be seen from Camden’s outer harbor by visitors on the water. According to the church in 2016, recent, significant foundation and framing work stabilized major safety issues, but the steeple still required extensive repairs. It embarked on a “Save our Steeple” campaign to raise the $538,000 needed to complete the work, and at the 2016 Town Meeting, asked voters to approve a $75,000 contribution in the town’s budget.

That request did not come without controversy. Some thought that by funding the repair of one church steeple in town, the town would be setting a precedent to help finance repairs to others, some of which downtown are also considered scenic landmarks, among other things. Others questioned the denomination’s viewpoint on who they allow to join and whether that was something town voters should be financially supporting, as well as whether it was right to take public money to fund a church.

A member of the town’s Historic Resources Commission asked the town to support the request, saying: “We are being asked to chip in about 15 percent of the half-million cost, and the rest of the work is being paid by the church.” She added “The clock has been the official town clock since Ulysses S. Grant was president... .” Ultimately, the town voted to approve the church’s request to chip in.

The church ultimately has raised the the bulk of the money, with various groups helping, including Camden Rotary and Penobscot Bay Ringers, Midcoast Maine’s hand bell choir that held a benefit concert.

Related links:

• Camden voters approve $7.4 million budget, including church steeple repair funds

• Barbara Dyer: When Camden paid a fine for having no minister preaching in town

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