Springfield West United Baptist Church
Title
Springfield West United Baptist Church
Church Name
Springfield West United Baptist Church
Church Association
Prince Edward Island Association
Province
Prince Edward Island
County
Prince County
Address
3572 O'Leary Rd, O'Leary, PE
Status
Active
Date
Built 1894
Historical Information
The Baptist presence in O’Leary can be traced back to 1862, when Ebenezer Lidstone and Henry Baker came to Cape Wolfe from Bedeque. These men encouraged the Baptist people of the area to come together in the homes of parishioners, and they later met in a local schoolhouse. As a result, a Baptist church was built a few years after 1862 in Cape Wolfe, which was received into the Baptist association in 1865.
Later, a church was built in Knutsford, in 1880. Work began on this facility in April and the exterior was nearly finished by early fall. The interior was finished a year later, and the church had its dedication service January 30, 1881. Around 1894 these two churches merged to form the Springfield West Baptist Church in 1894. The Knutsford Baptist Church continued to be used along with the new Springfield West Baptist Church until the 1950’s, when it was decided a new facility should be built. This led way for the O’Leary Baptist Church to be constructed in 1957. This church is part of the Springfield West – O’Leary United Baptist Church pastorate, which contains both this church and the O’Leary Baptist Church.
The Springfield West Baptist Church is a modest structure, and it is atypical in terms of style for its timeframe. Much like many other country Baptist churches in Atlantic Canada, this church is built in the Gothic Revival style, and has a three-bay façade, with a centrally placed steeple. The steeple is much like the other Baptist churches of its day, pushed out from the front façade. It looks like a tower positioned in the middle of the structure. Along each side of the Springfield West Baptist Church are/were, three gothic arched windows containing plain glass, which do not appear to have had stained or colored glass at any time. The curvature of these windows is unique to this building and not found at any other Baptist church thus far. Rather than the windows having a smooth curve, they have two boards cut on an angle that from afar looks like a smooth arch. Along the belltower, there are two similar style windows of varying dimensions. The building has an eight-sided steeple that is about the same height as the main body of the church. Originally this church would have been covered on the exterior with clad boards, and the roof and steeple with wooden shingles. Much like other churches in Atlantic Canada the use of vinyl siding and asphalt shingles has been adopted to provide for less maintenance. This does not appear to detract from the built heritage of this building. One interesting thing to note is that there are not any front windows on the main part of the building. This is unusual for churches of this style and age, so perhaps they have been covered when vinyl siding was applied. There has been a modern addition attached to the right side of the building, containing a kitchen and multi-use space for activities.
Information proved by Church and Frank Sinnott, History of the Baptists of Prince Edward Island, 1974.
Later, a church was built in Knutsford, in 1880. Work began on this facility in April and the exterior was nearly finished by early fall. The interior was finished a year later, and the church had its dedication service January 30, 1881. Around 1894 these two churches merged to form the Springfield West Baptist Church in 1894. The Knutsford Baptist Church continued to be used along with the new Springfield West Baptist Church until the 1950’s, when it was decided a new facility should be built. This led way for the O’Leary Baptist Church to be constructed in 1957. This church is part of the Springfield West – O’Leary United Baptist Church pastorate, which contains both this church and the O’Leary Baptist Church.
The Springfield West Baptist Church is a modest structure, and it is atypical in terms of style for its timeframe. Much like many other country Baptist churches in Atlantic Canada, this church is built in the Gothic Revival style, and has a three-bay façade, with a centrally placed steeple. The steeple is much like the other Baptist churches of its day, pushed out from the front façade. It looks like a tower positioned in the middle of the structure. Along each side of the Springfield West Baptist Church are/were, three gothic arched windows containing plain glass, which do not appear to have had stained or colored glass at any time. The curvature of these windows is unique to this building and not found at any other Baptist church thus far. Rather than the windows having a smooth curve, they have two boards cut on an angle that from afar looks like a smooth arch. Along the belltower, there are two similar style windows of varying dimensions. The building has an eight-sided steeple that is about the same height as the main body of the church. Originally this church would have been covered on the exterior with clad boards, and the roof and steeple with wooden shingles. Much like other churches in Atlantic Canada the use of vinyl siding and asphalt shingles has been adopted to provide for less maintenance. This does not appear to detract from the built heritage of this building. One interesting thing to note is that there are not any front windows on the main part of the building. This is unusual for churches of this style and age, so perhaps they have been covered when vinyl siding was applied. There has been a modern addition attached to the right side of the building, containing a kitchen and multi-use space for activities.
Information proved by Church and Frank Sinnott, History of the Baptists of Prince Edward Island, 1974.
Files
Collection
Citation
“Springfield West United Baptist Church,” Atlantic Baptist Built Heritage Project , accessed May 2, 2024, https://atlanticbaptistheritage.omeka.net/items/show/290.