ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY -- After 121 years in Isle of Wight County, one church building came down for the sake of progress.

Shiloh Baptist Church sat on Fire Tower Road, just outside Windsor since 1887, but by 9:00 a.m. Wednesday, it was a pile of boards.

Pastor James Elam and members of his congregation said goodbye to more than 100 years of history, but also looked to the future with excitement.

They have plans for what will be erected in place of the old sanctuary; a new, nearly 6,600 square foot building that will accommodate up to 500 parishioners. At present, the church has 150.

“We’ve been praying about it, and God has actually just brought it to pass, and we’re excited about it,” said church member Viola Turner.

A likeness of the new building is prominently displayed in the church’s fellowship hall, where they will worship while their new church sanctuary is constructed.

The old marble cornerstone of the original church will serve as part of the foundation for their new building.

“The old, that built the old, we just, we wanna just let them know, we just addin’ to what they already started,” said Pastor Elam.

He says they expect to break ground on the same site for their new sanctuary by the first of June, and expect construction to last nine to 12 months.