Fire Destroys Shop Before Final Weekend Of Metamora Christmas Walk

By Mike Perleberg Only a sign remains at Meeting House Antiques in Metamora following a fire on Wednesday, December 13. Photo via Metamora, Indiana Facebook page. (Metamora, Ind.) - A historic building in Metamora was left a pile of ashes by an early morning fire Wednesday. Meeting House Antiques was originally a church. It was built in 1871. As an antique shop, it became one of the top attractions in the small village known for its arts and crafts community. Despite the nearly 150 years of history, it only took about an hour for the building on Lovers Lane to be destroyed by a fire which broke out about 1:50 a.m. Metamora Volunteer Fire Department assistant chief Randy Austin says the building and everything inside was a complete loss. Nobody was inside at the time and there were no injuries. A house next door was damaged by the heat, but firefighters kept it from burning. Austin says a cause has not been determined, but there is no indication that the fire was started intentionally. Metamora firefighters were assisted by fire departments from Laurel, Brookville, and Oldenburg. The destructive fire comes in the midst of one of the biggest events of the year in Metamora. This weekend will be the final days of the Metamora Old Fashioned Christmas Walk, where nearly all of the town’s craft and antique shops are open during four weekends following Thanksgiving. An online fundraiser has been set up to assist the shop’s owner, Dave Henninger. A GoFundMe page seeking to raise $40,000 for Henninger claims that he did not have insurance on the property. Meeting House Antiques on the Whitewater Canal as it appeared before Wednesday's fire. Photo via Metamora, Indiana Facebook page.