Aspen Baptist Church
Title
Aspen Baptist Church
Church Name
Aspen Baptist Church
Church Association
Former Antigonish-Guysborough Baptist Association (now known as Colchester-Pictou-Guysborough-Association)
Province
Nova Scotia
County
Guysborough County
Address
Aspen
Status
Demolished
Date
Built circa 1843
Historical Information
The Aspen Baptist Church has had a place in Aspen since around 1843. It is believed that this structure is the original Baptist church built here. Originally, this building was set further off the road, higher on the sloped bank, but around the turn of the twentieth century the church was moved closer to the main road, by teams of oxen. The land the church sits on was donated to the church by the McKeen family, a family which still has a presence in the area today and still owns the land surrounding the building (2021). One of the families that has strong ties with this church is the MacGrath family, whose relative was a deacon in the 1800’s.. Higher on the hill, and visible from the church, is the Aspen Baptist Cemetery, a burial ground that is still used today, mainly by descendants of those who originally attended services at the Aspen Baptist Church.
This church structure demonstrates an interesting part of history in this part of Atlantic Canada. The Baptist congregants from all around were known to have come here for services; however, as time went on fewer and fewer people were moving to the area, leaving the church in the hands of two trustees who were part of the McKeen family. This church demonstrates the impact that urban centralization has had to small communities like Aspen, with people moving to the urban centers and back roads becoming busier with traffic just travelling through. It is of such an old age, and situated in a part of Nova Scotia that does not have many Baptist churches, thereby making it a unique fixture in the community. It is by far the oldest Baptist church in the region, with no other churches within 40 kilometers. In 1993 it officially closed as a church.
One of the biggest industries in the area during the church’s construction was forestry. The builders of this church were skilled craftsmen with a talent for ornate architectural embellishments, evident in the amount and variety of wood detailing on the exterior of the building. The building is built in the Gothic Revival Style, with a three-bay façade on the front, with a centrally placed doorway and belltower. This church was likely built by skilled craftsmen from the community, likely the same people that built many of the early homes in the area. It includes many ornate woodwork embellishments that would have been on these early homes. The interior of the building is rather plain, and features a central hallway flanked by two small rooms. These rooms are fascinating due to them both being the place that housed the only colored (orange) stained glass windows, now housed at the Clarence United Baptist Church, Annapolis County, NS. The main sanctuary has three similarly arched windows on each side, but smaller than those found at the front. At the back is a small stage set low to the ground, with a three-sided bay window centrally placed at the back.
Although the building is in a sad state of repair, it is a hope that it is restored to its former glory. A local individual has purchased the property in the 2010’s with hopes to turn it into a cottage/summer home. Nothing has been done to this property for many years, and it would be not only a loss the community, but to Atlantic Canadian history and Baptist heritage in this region, if it was lost. This church is amongst the earliest Gothic Revival churches found anywhere in Atlantic Canada, featuring a vast array of architectural embellishments not often found in this quantity on one building. It blends simplicity with complexity in a way which does not overpower the façade, but demonstrates the amount of knowledge these craftsmen had with their trade, industry, and community.
In the spring of 2023 this church was demolished.
Information provided by Atlantic Baptist Archives; MacGrath Family, East River St. Mary’s; McKeen Family; Canadian Baptists of Atlantic Canada.
This church structure demonstrates an interesting part of history in this part of Atlantic Canada. The Baptist congregants from all around were known to have come here for services; however, as time went on fewer and fewer people were moving to the area, leaving the church in the hands of two trustees who were part of the McKeen family. This church demonstrates the impact that urban centralization has had to small communities like Aspen, with people moving to the urban centers and back roads becoming busier with traffic just travelling through. It is of such an old age, and situated in a part of Nova Scotia that does not have many Baptist churches, thereby making it a unique fixture in the community. It is by far the oldest Baptist church in the region, with no other churches within 40 kilometers. In 1993 it officially closed as a church.
One of the biggest industries in the area during the church’s construction was forestry. The builders of this church were skilled craftsmen with a talent for ornate architectural embellishments, evident in the amount and variety of wood detailing on the exterior of the building. The building is built in the Gothic Revival Style, with a three-bay façade on the front, with a centrally placed doorway and belltower. This church was likely built by skilled craftsmen from the community, likely the same people that built many of the early homes in the area. It includes many ornate woodwork embellishments that would have been on these early homes. The interior of the building is rather plain, and features a central hallway flanked by two small rooms. These rooms are fascinating due to them both being the place that housed the only colored (orange) stained glass windows, now housed at the Clarence United Baptist Church, Annapolis County, NS. The main sanctuary has three similarly arched windows on each side, but smaller than those found at the front. At the back is a small stage set low to the ground, with a three-sided bay window centrally placed at the back.
Although the building is in a sad state of repair, it is a hope that it is restored to its former glory. A local individual has purchased the property in the 2010’s with hopes to turn it into a cottage/summer home. Nothing has been done to this property for many years, and it would be not only a loss the community, but to Atlantic Canadian history and Baptist heritage in this region, if it was lost. This church is amongst the earliest Gothic Revival churches found anywhere in Atlantic Canada, featuring a vast array of architectural embellishments not often found in this quantity on one building. It blends simplicity with complexity in a way which does not overpower the façade, but demonstrates the amount of knowledge these craftsmen had with their trade, industry, and community.
In the spring of 2023 this church was demolished.
Information provided by Atlantic Baptist Archives; MacGrath Family, East River St. Mary’s; McKeen Family; Canadian Baptists of Atlantic Canada.
Files
Collection
Citation
“Aspen Baptist Church,” Atlantic Baptist Built Heritage Project , accessed April 17, 2024, https://atlanticbaptistheritage.omeka.net/items/show/292.