Mineral Free Baptist Meeting House
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Historical Information
Mineral Free Baptist Meetinghouse stands at a crossroads amid rolling hills and farmlands, 9 kilometres north of Bath, in the community of Mineral in the north western corner of Carleton County. This simple, functional place of worship is one of the last surviving examples of its type in this area.
Constructed in 1883 and dedicated on October 13 of that year, the rectangular gabled building is historically important to the province as an example of the Free Baptist presence throughout sections of rural New Brunswick. The plain façade and overall proportions of this “neat and comfortable” house of worship are similar in character to other such meetinghouses throughout New Brunswick; however, most have not survived to the present day.
The Reverend Ezekiel Sipprell (1799-1895), a Free Baptist preacher active throughout the settlements of Carleton County, is acknowledged as the person most responsible for the building of this meetinghouse. In 1922, a local Free Baptist congregation bought the church and refinished the interior.
Mineral Free Baptist Meetinghouse is designated a Provincial Historic Site for its architecture and its association with the Free Baptist congregation. As of 2005, the congregation was still meeting on the third Sunday afternoon of every month for worship.
Historical description edited for brevity from Canada's Historic Places.Files
