DEEP RIVER - Even when Mark Lowery worked after school at Deep River's Fountain Hill Cemetery in the 1970s, the chapel, on a hill at the entrance to the property, was locked and deserted-but the stone building fascinated him.

"I always wanted to do something about it," he said.

At the upcoming annual Fall Walk through the cemetery on Saturday, Oct. 27, participants will have a chance to look inside the chapel, and they will see the work Lowery has already begun to restore the building. He is now the vice president of the board of directors of the cemetery.

The Fall Walk, led by Reverend Tim Haut of the Deep River Congregational Church, will start at the chapel. Lowery noted that the chapel is non-denominational, and he envisions the restored building as something that could be used for small weddings or funerals.

When Lowery began, cleanup was the first job he needed to tackle. Damage to the chapel's roof meant everything from leaves to animal droppings littered the floor. Now, the roof has had some structural repair, the floor is clean, and the chapel benches, once stacked in a corner of the room, are arranged in neat rows. Lowery said that people stopping by to see why there was a Dumpster in front of the building have expressed support and interest in the project.

"People say they are curious because the building has always been a mystery. Once they see the inside, the love it," he added.

Work on the chapel, properly called the Wooster Memorial Chapel, began as a result of a $10,000 bequest in 1913 from the will of Mary McCollum Wooster. She was a granddaughter of George Read, one of the founders of the Pratt-Read Company of Deep River, at one time the largest piano-key factory in the world. The only requirement in the will was that the chapel be constructed of stone. In fact, the granite used in the building was cut from a quarry in Deep River right next to the cemetery.

"It's amazing what $10,000 would buy in 1914," Lowery observed.

Architect Alan Paradis of Centerbrook Architects and a member of the Deep River Design Advisory Board, said that despite the years, the chapel remains a sound building.

"It has good bones; it is well constructed and it has endured the elements despite deferred maintenance," he said. "The nice thing is that it fits the cemetery; it stands on a ledge and it adds context to the surroundings."

The chapel, which could seat 100 people, had a device at the front from which a casket could be lowered to a vault in the basement. At the entrance there is a small reception room and a room that was used as a bathroom.

"This was a very modern building in 1915 [from the perspective of] the wiring, the plumbing," Lowery said.

At present, the chapel needs heating, electric, and septic systems. The leaded glass in the windows, including the large window in the front of the building, has all been removed. A piece of plywood covers the front window. The side windows now have plastic in the frames; Lowery doesn't know what happened to the original glass-vandals, he theorizes, could have removed it, or it could have been sold in an attempt to find money for the upkeep of the chapel.

He wants to reinstall appropriate windows, add storm windows, and have a metal cage in front of each window to protect the new glass. This winter Lowery, a contractor with his own business, plans to rebuild the window and door frames in his shop.

For basic restoration, Lowery estimates materials alone will cost some $70,000. He is working weekends and an occasional day during the week on the project. Although there is much he can accomplish, he envisions labor costs for some things he cannot do himself.

Cemetery board member Rhonda Forristall has researched, so far without success, government and foundation grants to help complete the project. There have already been individual donations, including a gift of $1,000 matched by the cemetery association board. Contributions to the chapel restoration fund are tax deductible.

Lowery said that the restoration effort needs help from the public in another vital area. He and Forristall would like to talk to people who can remember the chapel when it was open and functioning. They would like to know what the interior looked like in the building's heyday. They urge people with memories of the chapel to contact them. Forristalll can be reached at 860-526-5086 and Lowery at 860-526-4259.

There is no fixed schedule for the completion of the building, but Lowery does have a date in mind. The chapel was originally dedicated on Easter Sunday in l915. He would like to see it reopened on Easter Sunday, 100 years later in 2015.

"It would be wonderful if we could do that," he said.

Annual Fall Walk

Fountain Hill Cemetery Association

Saturday, Oct. 27 at 10 a.m.

Meeting at the Chapel at Fountain Hill Cemetery

No prior registration necessary

To make a tax-deductible contribution to the restoration project: Send checks made out to Fountain Hill Cemetery Chapel Restoration, to Fund P.O. Box 263 Deep River, CT 06417.