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After nearly 165 years of existence and countless hours of work from local historical preservationists, the Emmanuel Church, the first Episcopal church in California, is being restored thanks to approximately $2.5 million in state funding.

Built in 1855, the church has experienced dry rot, a faltering roof and windows and crumbling foundation in recent years. All that’s going to change soon.

Barry Smith, chief ranger of California State Parks Gold Fields District, called it the “best day ever” at Marshall Gold Discovery State Historical Park . Nailing down funding improvements for the church is a huge breakthrough for the district, Smith said.

“When the news first broke, I kept it a secret because I wanted to tell everyone at once,” Smith said. “We’ve all worked so hard to get this done. You know how important it is to everyone when you tell them and you see tears coming down. That’s how powerful this is.”

The church closed in 2015. Officials have been working on restoring and reopening it ever since.

The improvement project is funded by the state’s capital outlay and cultural resources units. About $2.3 million is coming from capital outlay and $168,000 from cultural resources.

Smith said the project should take about two or three years to finish. He expects to begin the planning process soon.

The Emmanuel mirrors the Golden State’s illustrious past, Smith said. Loss of the church would be damaging to the values California heralds today.

“It tells the tale of California’s rich history,” Smith said. “It reflects out state’s rich diversity. Most of our early pioneers were married in the church. Whether you were Japanese or African American or whatever, you had the opportunity to have a wedding or a ceremony there. It not only tells the story of the past but it tells the story of the future.”

Funeral services for James Marshall, the park’s namesake and the man who touched off the California Gold Rush, were held at the Emmanuel. Services for Matsunosuke Sakurai, a member of the first Japanese colony in the United States that was settled just outside Coloma, were held there as well. The Reverend Caleb Pierce, a well-loved preacher in El Dorado County, served the church from 1861 until his death in 1903.

The church even has a Thomas Kinkade connection. In May 1982 the famed local painter married Nanette Willey at the church. He was especially fond of the church, once painting a picture of it titled “Blossom Hill Church.” More than 1,300 couples have married there.

“The church has borne witness to over 160 years of California history,” Smith said. “Now we’re one step closer to extending that another 160 years.”