![]() ![]() We needed something to free our hearts and imaginations from the confines of the cresting global pandemic. In late 2020, under the persistent rain of the coastal Pacific Northwest, we hatched a plan. A family who would love and cherish the property as they had. They hoped and prayed that someone would come along with a similar vision for Union Chapel. Finding the right buyer and not just any buyer was of huge concern to the family. They decided to sell the school and move closer to the grandkids. With their kids now approaching or entrenched into adulthood, in 2020 the VonFumetti’s decided their needs were changing. Somewhere along the path, several classrooms were converted into lodging. Under the loving care of the VonFumetti’s, the school underwent an amazing transformation into a place where anything is possible and dreams always come true. With a vision to create an epic family home and an amazing place to raise kids and grandkids, they went to work. I imagine she, like many of us, wanted to go home again. The family matriarch Wanda had once gone to school here as a child. The VonFumetti family were the first private owners of the school when they purchased it at county auction in 2014. With a heavy heart, the Russell County Board of Education made the decision to shutter the doors of Union Chapel and auction off the school to the public. The younger families were concentrating around the towns of Russell Springs and Jamestown while the kids that grew up in the country side on the farms had long since moved on to college, careers and families of their own. Several other local elementary schools were now performing the lions share of work in Russell County. Eventually the demographics of the area changed. Each addition was carefully designed to flow seamlessly into the original design of the building. Several additions were made to the campus during the 1970’s and again in the early 2000’s. The class sizes were always small but as the needs of the community grew, so did the building. The area was comprised of mostly farms and homesteads. Union Chapel faithfully served the community know as Old Ogla in Russell County for over 50 years. With it’s clean straight lines and purposeful design, the building has gracefully aged into a mid-century modern work of art. His own designs were a vision of the future. He was a member of the American Institute of Architects. ![]() Bayless spent his life photographing historical structures in the state of Kentucky. Union Chapel Lodge started it’s life in 1960 as the completed design of architect Charles Nield Bayless. Allow yourself to be immersed in a simpler time. Walk the fields that little feet trampled so many times. Hear the thousands of tiny laughing voices soaked into each brick. ![]() We welcome you to stay with us at Union Chapel and give yourself the opportunity to find a small piece of that joy once again. As our own seasons go by, we will always hold the memories of our past in the same joyful light as we once did as children. Winter was referring to the feeling of nostalgia and the way our memory memorializes the past. The writer Ella Winter once said, “Don’t you know you can’t go home again?” But what if you could? Ms. A unique and memorable experience is sure to await. Thank you for your interest in Union Chapel Lodge. ![]()
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