MADISON, Md. - The old Madison church and cemetery in Dorchester County has a lot of rich history and some believe its story is well worth preserving.
If you drive past it, it may not look like much, but in its heyday, the church was the heart of this small community. Now the people who once attended the church are attempting to give it another chance at life.
"Our final goal is to have this church in the shape where people can visit and see some of the artifacts and memorabilia that we can collect as we go along," said Nona Stanley.
"We want to preserve the history and tell the stories of the faith and the love that the people in the communities have," said Rena McKinney.
Leading the charge is McKinney, who said a lot of people have gotten behind their project to preserve the church and its history.
"We are excited because we have several supporters, we have the Heart of the Chesapeake and they have faith in our project and we're looking forward to starting the documentation process," McKinney said.
James McCoy grew up in the church. Now he is spending his time cleaning it up.
"It's a joint effort," he said. "Everybody gets together on certain days and we come down here and we clean up and try to organize the graveyard."
Stanley has family buried in the cemetery. She said accomplishing their goals will take some time but it will be well worth it in the end.
"We know it's going to take a while," Stanley said. "It's going to be a process. It's not going to take overnight but we are determined to stay with it."
