First church of the Monkees being built in Pa.

BEAVERTOWN, Pa. — A treasure trove of vintage furniture, artwork, signs, lighting and building materials are being unearthed from inside a former church owned by late Monkees’ lead singer Davy Jones.

Longtime Monkees fan and friend Cathy Whitehead, of Dunellen, N.J., purchased the 136-year-old steeple church on Orange Street last spring with the intention of converting the second floor into living quarters and the first floor into a display area for Monkees memorabilia.

“It will be a place for fans to come and sit and talk or perform,” she said.

Beavertown resident Cindy Eia is thrilled Whitehead is fulfilling the dream Jones had when he purchased the condemned church for $15,000 in 1999.

Jones owned several Beavertown properties, including a six-bedroom, 3,388-square-foot home and 15.5-acre lot that is still on the market listed at $279,900, for more than 20 years before his death in 2012 at age 66.

He spent tens of thousands of dollars on the church he planned to turn into a Monkees museum and performance venue, reinforcing the building, replacing the steeple, refurbishing the bell, adding a bathroom and installing new windows, light fixtures and a furnace, which he filled with oil and never used.

“He would be so happy Cathy is keeping it alive,” said Eia, who became emotional talking about her late friend. “When he passed away, it was the first thing I thought of. ‘What’s going to happen to the church?’”

As Jones slowly remodeled the church, he was using it as a storage room for the numerous items he purchased at auctions, area schools and other places.

Whitehead is still sifting through the scores of pews, doors, light fixtures, old signs, stage curtains, tables, couches, chairs and other items piled up in the church. There also are old toys his two younger children once played with stuffed into a child’s dresser and a large abstract painting covered in dust.

“David was not a pack rat. He was a collector,” said Whitehead, who will reuse almost all of the items, including glass showcases that Jones purchased to display his Monkees collection.

Other pieces will be given away to the many fans who continue to drive through the small town.

Fans from Ontario, Canada; South Carolina, New York, Georgia and Ohio have stopped by to chat with Whitehead and help her organize the items.

Before they leave, Whitehead offers them a token from Jones’ vast collection.

They aren’t picky.

“I pounded nails out of the floor for five hours and they wanted those,” a baffled Eia said with a smile.

In return, fans are giving Whitehead items to put on display for others to enjoy. She’s grateful because a fire that destroyed her New Jersey home last fall also consumed the memorabilia she’s collected since becoming a Monkees fan at the age of 10.

She expects to move into her new home by the end of October and, with help from others, create a memorial to their idol.

Marcia Moore writes for the Daily Item in Sunbury, Pennsylvania.