Plymouth United Baptist Church
Title
Plymouth United Baptist Church
Church Name
Plymouth United Baptist Church
Church Association
Yarmouth Association (Historically)
Province
Nova Scotia
County
Yarmouth County
Address
Plymouth
Status
Demolished
Date
Built circa 1870
Historical Information
The Plymouth Baptist Church was built ca. 1870 and used as a Free Baptist meeting house until 1906, when it became United Baptist with the unification of the Free and Regular (Calvinist) Baptist denominations. The church had a unique false Gothic front that rose above the roof line to look like a spire.
The architecture of this structure is unique to this building, unlike any other in the province of Nova Scotia. The technique of making the front façade appear large and more ornate than the building is, was common practice for storefronts in the mid to late nineteenth century, and rarely seen in Atlantic Canadian churches from this era.
The building was a timber frame construction with a medium pitched roof, covered originally in wooden shingles and later in black asphalt shingles. From the front of the building one would think that the roof was steeply pitched given the height and slope apparent of the façade that rose above the actual roof line.
In terms of style this building is typical for its time and is in the Carpenter Gothic style. Carpenter Gothic, also sometimes called Carpenter's Gothic or Rural Gothic, is a North American architectural style-designation for an application of Gothic Revival architectural detailing and picturesque massing applied to wooden structures. The application of this style is unlike anywhere else. Another distinctive detail of this building is the centrally placed pointed window in the middle of the front façade of the gable end and the separate entranceways on side, near the eaves. Often times when churches have two entranceways it was paying homage to the early meeting house styles and was meant for men and women to each use a separate entrance.
In 2009 the congregations of the Arcadia United Baptist Church, Chebogue United Baptist Church, Rockville United Baptist Church, and Plymouth United Baptist Church congregations merged to create the New Heights Baptist Church. This building has since been demolished.
Information provided by New Heights Baptist Church.
The architecture of this structure is unique to this building, unlike any other in the province of Nova Scotia. The technique of making the front façade appear large and more ornate than the building is, was common practice for storefronts in the mid to late nineteenth century, and rarely seen in Atlantic Canadian churches from this era.
The building was a timber frame construction with a medium pitched roof, covered originally in wooden shingles and later in black asphalt shingles. From the front of the building one would think that the roof was steeply pitched given the height and slope apparent of the façade that rose above the actual roof line.
In terms of style this building is typical for its time and is in the Carpenter Gothic style. Carpenter Gothic, also sometimes called Carpenter's Gothic or Rural Gothic, is a North American architectural style-designation for an application of Gothic Revival architectural detailing and picturesque massing applied to wooden structures. The application of this style is unlike anywhere else. Another distinctive detail of this building is the centrally placed pointed window in the middle of the front façade of the gable end and the separate entranceways on side, near the eaves. Often times when churches have two entranceways it was paying homage to the early meeting house styles and was meant for men and women to each use a separate entrance.
In 2009 the congregations of the Arcadia United Baptist Church, Chebogue United Baptist Church, Rockville United Baptist Church, and Plymouth United Baptist Church congregations merged to create the New Heights Baptist Church. This building has since been demolished.
Information provided by New Heights Baptist Church.
Files
Collection
Citation
“Plymouth United Baptist Church,” Atlantic Baptist Built Heritage Project , accessed April 29, 2024, https://atlanticbaptistheritage.omeka.net/items/show/257.