A Baptist congregation in North Sydney dates to 1825; soon after their formation they constructed a small meeting house style building, a common style among Baptists in early to mid-nineteenth century Atlantic Canada. This style is often characterized by its small and rather plain facility, with no steeple, and gothic or neo-classical embellishments. The front entrance was often on the gable end, with either two entrances one on the left and right sides of the front façade; one meant for the men and the other for women, or a centrally placed doorway. This building has a single entrance centrally placed on the gable end, and had rather classical embellishments, common for the time.
This church congregation has a strong tie with John Hull, who was the first Baptist minister to come from the Eastern section of the province. In the late summer of 1825, Rev. Joseph Dimock had arrived in Upper North Sydney, Cape Breton to find John Hull, then a Congregationalist evangelist, ministering from time to time in a little union meetinghouse. Dimock organized a meeting on October 15, 1825, at which Hull and his congregation agreed to join the Baptist denomination as a unified church. This was the first Baptist church on the island of Cape Breton. The first official act of the church was to grant a license to John Hull to preach. In May 1826 he was sent to the Baptist Association then in session at Wilmot for ordination, returning to Cape Breton in August 1827. He remained in the church about a year, after which very little is known of his activities. Hull died at the age of thirty-one while on a preaching trip to Livermore Falls, Maine.
For many years the Calvary Baptist Church also led services in remote surrounding communities, called “preaching stations,” such as the one the church held at the Mitchell Island Union Church, for Baptist settlers who were unable to make the trip to North Sydney for services.
This congregation replaced their building in 1914, with a large and more commodious structure. This building is typical in terms of style for its time; it is a prime example and architectural movement congregations were making in the first part of the twentieth century from a symmetrical design with the steeple centrally placed on the gable end, in a style that was usually Gothic or Greek Revival, to a church that was more Classical in design with an asymmetrical design. This church is typical of other churches of its time and style. Inside it features ornate plasterwork, curved back wooden pews, and a large pipe organ behind the pulpit. The church still maintains much of its original woodwork and architectural embellishments. One of the most eye-catching features of this church is the open-cage belfry, and large bell which can be seen from the property. Along with this feature the church has large ornate stained-glass windows, on all sides.
Information provided by the church and Atlantic Baptist Archives.
The Clyde Avenue Baptist Church, Sydney Mines was formed after the meeting of eight individuals, in the studio of Samuel Stubbert, around 1895. At this meeting was Murdock Ross, who was a member of Calvary Baptist Church, North Sydney, but gave his counsel and time in the advancement of the cause.
In the beginning, meetings of the congregation were held in the Temperance Lodge, but as the attendance grew it was decided that the informal congregation should officially form and construct a facility dedicated to them. A building was constructed at the cost of $2000, which would be around $48,000 in 2021. The church was officially organized at the same time the building was dedicated and opened on December 20, 1903.
The first pastor to serve at the church was Rev. A. H. Whitman, who remained there for five years. Soon after congregation moved into their church, they petitioned the town to have the sidewalk extended from Main Street to the church, which the town later did. Originally the church did not have electricity, and it was not until 1906 that electric lights were installed, with monetary donations from parishioners. This same year a 32” bell was installed in the steeple which is still (2021) situated in the same spot.
This building appears to be Gothic Revival in style, apparent from the architectural embellishments on the exterior, such as the curved Gothic windows, and medallion window set up high in the middle of the front façade, on the gable end. The asymmetrical design, with the steeple situated on the right side of the building, rather than a symmetrical design with the steeple centrally placed on the gable end, is very common amongst churches built in this era. This stylistic choice was a common trend amongst Baptist churches in Atlantic Canada during the turn, and early part, of the twentieth century. Many churches built in this era, however, are built in the classical design, but this church has architectural details resembling those of earlier constructed churches, perhaps demonstrating the favoured style of the architect or resembling other community facilities in the region. A few features that stand out about this structure are the gothic windows on the left side of the structure, and the unbalanced nature of the windows on the front façade, demonstrated through the uneven spacing between the two gothic windows in relationship to the upper medallion window. This medallion window and its graphic design are unique to this building, and not seen anywhere else. Along with this, the bell-cast roof the steeple with more classical, rectangular windows, demonstrates the merge between the older, Gothic/Greek Revival style churches of a more symmetrical design and that of the Classical style in an asymmetrical design that was gaining popularity during this time.
Added to the structure later, in 1921, was the reception hall, located on the right side of the steeple. It is apparent that it was added later due to the plain rectangular vinyl windows, that stand out when compared to the Gothic windows on the main body of the church. It was not until 1927 that this hall was joined to the main church structure; prior to this the hall was located elsewhere on the property.
In 1964, extensive renovations were madeto the interior front façade, where the pulpit is, baptistry, and front entrance, totalling $6000, which would be around $52,500 in 2021, more than what it cost to complete the church!
The original church was a dark color, perhaps a red, or brown, with white trim, all of which were wooden clad boards, or cedar shakes. After renovations in the 1980’s the church was covered in a white vinyl siding, with aluminum storm windows covering the original wooden framed ones.
When the church was first constructed it has a large, pointed cap, which was later removed, most likely during renovations in the late twentieth century. This steeple, with its original cap, used to form both an impressive physical and picturesque community and streetscape presence.
The church has recently (2023) been closed.
Information provided by the Calvary Baptist Church, and History of Clyde Avenue United Baptist Church, Clyde Avenue, Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia, 1903-1990 by Edwin T. Bruce.
The Glace Bay United Baptist Church is one of the finest examples in Cape Breton of Atlantic Canadian Baptist church architecture in an unsymmetrical design.
This building is typical in terms of style for its time; it is a prime example of the Akron design, an architectural plan that congregations were making use of in the first part of the twentieth century featuring a symmetrical design with the steeple centrally placed on the gable end, in a style that was usually Gothic or Greek Revival, but this church was more Classical in design with an asymmetrical design. The church marks a transitional phase in Baptist church architecture around the turn of the twentieth century from a symmetrical design, usually in the Gothic Revival style, with a centrally placed steeple on the gable end, to an asymmetrical design with the steeple place usually on the side of the structure. Many of these churches with an asymmetrical design are also based on a modified “Akron Plan,” so named because it was first used in Akron, Ohio in 1867. This design abandoned the traditional long, straight, and narrow sanctuary with a central aisle in favor of a shallower and wider sanctuary with a sloping floor and pews which sweep in a half-circle and are broken into three sections. The purpose of these features was to enable everyone to see and hear clearly in a time when sound and projection systems were nonexistent. Also typical of the Akron style are sliding walls which allow the gallery to be closed off when not needed, and doors on the Sunday School rooms which completely open the front wall of the classroom. In a true Akron style Sunday School, the classes would open these doors completely so that the superintendent would be in full view to address the whole Sunday school. Doors were then closed for the class time. The sliding door could also be opened to enlarge the seating capacity of the sanctuary.
Some of the most striking features of the exterior of this building include the two rectangular towers on the front façade, the one on the left being taller and historically containing a bell. Another striking feature on the front façade being the large, English Gothic Revival style window centrally placed on the gable end of the structure.
The interior of the structure has remained relatively unchanged since its construction. It contained three rows of curved back pews, with five aisles. At the back, behind the pulpit there is large pipe organ that stretches to the ceiling.
The Glace Bay United Baptist Church congregation has since disbanded and the ownership of the Church has been handed over the Lighthouse Church of Glace Bay, a non-denominational Christian organization established in the area in 2005.
Information provided by Atlantic Baptist Archives and the church.
Photo 1 courtesy of Atlantic Baptist Archives/D1900.039/119