A Year Later, Floyd Claims Another Building

A year ago, Eastern Star Missionary Baptist Church found itself in deep water, literally, Hurricane Floyd filled the church with 8 feet of water.

Engineers say the wood inside the walls was too damaged to allow reconstruction.

Church leaders are planning to build a new, bigger church that better fits the congregation's needs.

They hope to start new building immediately and be in it about eight months from now.

Demolition was under way Monday morning. It was a difficult decision for a church built in the 1830s.

Rev. William Clayton says the church came from another site, brought by a team of mules, in 1906.

"Today is bittersweet," Clayton said. "We are saying good-bye to the old structure, but we are rebuilding on the present site, and we are anxiously awaiting our bright future that is ahead of us."