United Baptist ‘Stone’ Church
Title
United Baptist ‘Stone’ Church
Church Name
United Baptist ‘Stone’ Church
Church Association
Shelburne Association
Province
Nova Scotia
County
Shelburne County
Address
Clark's Harbour, NS
Status
Active
Date
1921 - 1927
Historical Information
According to church records, Rev. R. Osgood Morse (a pastor of 1919) suggested “the need of a modern church plant, adapted to the work of the present-day church and properly situated.” “To provide such a plant”, he continued, “is the great task calling the church to action.” Rev. Morse’s advice was taken seriously in March of 1920 under the leadership of a new minister Rev. J. S. Millet. They made the decision to build a new church building after a unanimous vote. With that, the building committee began planning in 1920, and the cornerstone was set in 1921.
On Sunday, September 11, 1927, the church was officially dedicated after more than half a decade of construction efforts and fundraising. Pastors for this first service were Rev. T. A. Meister, accompanied by Rev. Dr. F. W. Patterson, and Rev. A .M McNintch, former pastor of the original building constructed in 1876.
Mr. Thomas Doucette of Springhaven, Yarmouth County, was given the task of constructing the Stone Church from blueprints designed by Halifax architect S. P. Dumaresq, dated July 30, 1920. Thomas began this work soon after this date in 1920. He could neither read nor write but had a fantastic memory and, after having had the blueprints read to him only once, never needed help with them again.
Thomas was a master mason who had learned his trade by working on the building of railroad bridges in the early 1900s in Yarmouth, Digby, and Annapolis Counties. He also observed masons at work on the huge stone Roman Catholic Church at St. Bernard, Digby County. When Thomas came to Clark’s Harbour, he brought his own workmen: three stonecutters, his son Peter, and other masons, the names of some being Fidele Doucette, Hilaire Doucette, and John C. Doucette, all from Springhaven and Quinan, and Ben Robichaud from Westport. He also brought a teamster with his own team of oxen. The building took nearly ten years to construct and cost approximately $40,000. The church is eighty-five by forty-five feet, exclusive of the large vestibule, and has a seating capacity of about 300.
The foundation is of native granite, three feet in thickness. The large stone blocks used were cut by hand from rocks found in the fields around Clark’s Harbour or in adjoining communities. None were brought from the mainland, and all were hauled by the teamster and his oxen. The stonecutters used chisels sharpened every day by the blacksmith Tom Crowell. Tom had to know exactly how to do this, as they needed to be sharpened in a special way so the stones would break into even blocks when chisel cuts were made. Any rocks that were too heavy for the oxen to haul to the building site were cut on the spot, but others were hauled to the site and cut there. To facilitate placing the heavy stone blocks correctly, Thomas Doucette built a derrick as he had learned to do when working on the railway. One of the hardest tasks was making the stone windowsills—the blocks had to be cut to size, then nine inches chiseled off on a slope. It took a day to make one windowsill. The interior is beautifully finished in light wood. The hand-hewn beams seen in the ceiling were built on the shape of an inverted ship’s hull—the style of a Chesapeake Bay ship’s hull. These are a cut frame instead of a bent frame, probably a basic concept known by carpenters of that time. The woodwork covering the walls were all hand-hewn, carpenters having had special tools to make the tongue and groove.
Information provided by Stone Church, Clarks Harbour, and Jacklin, D., Nickerson, D. W., & Walker, K. R. The churches of Shelburne County, 1765-1950. Shelburne County Genealogical Society: 2006.
On Sunday, September 11, 1927, the church was officially dedicated after more than half a decade of construction efforts and fundraising. Pastors for this first service were Rev. T. A. Meister, accompanied by Rev. Dr. F. W. Patterson, and Rev. A .M McNintch, former pastor of the original building constructed in 1876.
Mr. Thomas Doucette of Springhaven, Yarmouth County, was given the task of constructing the Stone Church from blueprints designed by Halifax architect S. P. Dumaresq, dated July 30, 1920. Thomas began this work soon after this date in 1920. He could neither read nor write but had a fantastic memory and, after having had the blueprints read to him only once, never needed help with them again.
Thomas was a master mason who had learned his trade by working on the building of railroad bridges in the early 1900s in Yarmouth, Digby, and Annapolis Counties. He also observed masons at work on the huge stone Roman Catholic Church at St. Bernard, Digby County. When Thomas came to Clark’s Harbour, he brought his own workmen: three stonecutters, his son Peter, and other masons, the names of some being Fidele Doucette, Hilaire Doucette, and John C. Doucette, all from Springhaven and Quinan, and Ben Robichaud from Westport. He also brought a teamster with his own team of oxen. The building took nearly ten years to construct and cost approximately $40,000. The church is eighty-five by forty-five feet, exclusive of the large vestibule, and has a seating capacity of about 300.
The foundation is of native granite, three feet in thickness. The large stone blocks used were cut by hand from rocks found in the fields around Clark’s Harbour or in adjoining communities. None were brought from the mainland, and all were hauled by the teamster and his oxen. The stonecutters used chisels sharpened every day by the blacksmith Tom Crowell. Tom had to know exactly how to do this, as they needed to be sharpened in a special way so the stones would break into even blocks when chisel cuts were made. Any rocks that were too heavy for the oxen to haul to the building site were cut on the spot, but others were hauled to the site and cut there. To facilitate placing the heavy stone blocks correctly, Thomas Doucette built a derrick as he had learned to do when working on the railway. One of the hardest tasks was making the stone windowsills—the blocks had to be cut to size, then nine inches chiseled off on a slope. It took a day to make one windowsill. The interior is beautifully finished in light wood. The hand-hewn beams seen in the ceiling were built on the shape of an inverted ship’s hull—the style of a Chesapeake Bay ship’s hull. These are a cut frame instead of a bent frame, probably a basic concept known by carpenters of that time. The woodwork covering the walls were all hand-hewn, carpenters having had special tools to make the tongue and groove.
Information provided by Stone Church, Clarks Harbour, and Jacklin, D., Nickerson, D. W., & Walker, K. R. The churches of Shelburne County, 1765-1950. Shelburne County Genealogical Society: 2006.
Files
Collection
Citation
“United Baptist ‘Stone’ Church,” Atlantic Baptist Built Heritage Project , accessed May 2, 2024, https://atlanticbaptistheritage.omeka.net/items/show/221.