On Aug. 22, 1995, the All Saints Catholic Church in Stuart, Iowa, was set on fire.Charles Willard drove to the church, poured gasoline in various places and set it ablaze. Fire departments from more than 20 communities within a 50-mile radius fought the fire. After it was extinguished, only the exterior walls of the building remained standing. Willard claimed responsibility for setting the fire and blamed it on his hatred of the Catholic church. He was convicted of arson and a hate crime.It was too expensive for the parish and diocese to rebuild the church, so they built a new facility instead. In 1997, the damaged church was sold to a group that planned to rehabilitate the building. After a few years, it was restored and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Watch the video above for the full story.
STUART, Iowa —
On Aug. 22, 1995, the All Saints Catholic Church in Stuart, Iowa, was set on fire.
Charles Willard drove to the church, poured gasoline in various places and set it ablaze.
Fire departments from more than 20 communities within a 50-mile radius fought the fire. After it was extinguished, only the exterior walls of the building remained standing.
Willard claimed responsibility for setting the fire and blamed it on his hatred of the Catholic church. He was convicted of arson and a hate crime.
It was too expensive for the parish and diocese to rebuild the church, so they built a new facility instead.
In 1997, the damaged church was sold to a group that planned to rehabilitate the building. After a few years, it was restored and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Watch the video above for the full story.
