South Ohio United Baptist Church, formerly North Temple Baptist Church
Title
South Ohio United Baptist Church, formerly North Temple Baptist Church
Church Name
South Ohio United Baptist Church, formerly North Temple Baptist Church
Church Association
Yarmouth Association
Province
Nova Scotia
County
Yarmouth County
Address
South Ohio
Status
Demolished
Date
Originally Built 1852; 1884; 1888
Historical Information
In 1851 members of the Hebron Baptist Church were dismissed to form a daughter church in Ohio, Nova Scotia. On 27 November 1852 the congregation’s meeting house was opened on the North Ohio Road, just north of a sawmill at the Government Brook. In 1888 members built a larger church at the site, and it opened for public worship on 27 January 1889.
This church was referred to as the Ohio Baptist Church (see first photo). This church was large, and had a steeple pitched roof, with a three-bay faced on the gable end. This steeple was large with a tall and narrow spire. Below the spire was an open cage belfry containing a bell. The architectural style of this church was Gothic Revival. From the information we have it is unknown if the spire was centrally placed on the gable, like most other churches of this style and period, or if it had two spires on either side of the gable end.
Construction of another Baptist church in South Ohio began in 1884 at the junction of the North Ohio and Lake George Roads. The North Temple Baptist Church was completed ca. 1886 and dedicated in 1887. This church formed independently, without the aid from a mother church body. This church structure can be seen in photos 2 - 4 and is very ornate and unique in terms of style and architectural embellishments. This Baptist church is one of the few in Nova Scotia during its time that had two steeples, which was not commonplace in Atlantic Baptist church architecture, and was often found on larger, stone basilicas belonging to other denominations. A defining feature of Gothic Revival architecture in the Victorian Era was grand, ornate woodwork, balance and displaying craftsmanship skills.
This building has three separate entrances on the front façade, one in the base of each steeple, the other centrally placed below a large ornate stained-glass window. On each point on the steeples and the peak of the roof there is either a wooden or metal cap, both used to show the grandeur of the structure as well as act as a lightning rod, in case of a lightning strike. On each side of the building there are eight windows, four found on the upper, sanctuary level and four smaller ones on the main basement level. At the back, where the pulpit would be, there is bump-out, which would most likely have contained a pipe organ on the interior. The main sanctuary was set up high, and accessible by a staircase located inside.
In 1905 the two Baptist churches in South Ohio agreed to unite and formed under the name of the South Ohio Baptist Church. Services were held in the North Temple Baptist Church, built in 1884. Later, at the North Temple Baptist Church the tall spire on the left side of the gable end was replaced by an open cage belfry. Eventually the entire east tower was removed after being badly damaged by lightning. The church building was torn down in 2007, and the congregation closed. The monument in the foreground was a memorial to residents who died in the First World War.
Information provided by the Atlantic Baptist Archives and YarmouthHistory.ca.
This church was referred to as the Ohio Baptist Church (see first photo). This church was large, and had a steeple pitched roof, with a three-bay faced on the gable end. This steeple was large with a tall and narrow spire. Below the spire was an open cage belfry containing a bell. The architectural style of this church was Gothic Revival. From the information we have it is unknown if the spire was centrally placed on the gable, like most other churches of this style and period, or if it had two spires on either side of the gable end.
Construction of another Baptist church in South Ohio began in 1884 at the junction of the North Ohio and Lake George Roads. The North Temple Baptist Church was completed ca. 1886 and dedicated in 1887. This church formed independently, without the aid from a mother church body. This church structure can be seen in photos 2 - 4 and is very ornate and unique in terms of style and architectural embellishments. This Baptist church is one of the few in Nova Scotia during its time that had two steeples, which was not commonplace in Atlantic Baptist church architecture, and was often found on larger, stone basilicas belonging to other denominations. A defining feature of Gothic Revival architecture in the Victorian Era was grand, ornate woodwork, balance and displaying craftsmanship skills.
This building has three separate entrances on the front façade, one in the base of each steeple, the other centrally placed below a large ornate stained-glass window. On each point on the steeples and the peak of the roof there is either a wooden or metal cap, both used to show the grandeur of the structure as well as act as a lightning rod, in case of a lightning strike. On each side of the building there are eight windows, four found on the upper, sanctuary level and four smaller ones on the main basement level. At the back, where the pulpit would be, there is bump-out, which would most likely have contained a pipe organ on the interior. The main sanctuary was set up high, and accessible by a staircase located inside.
In 1905 the two Baptist churches in South Ohio agreed to unite and formed under the name of the South Ohio Baptist Church. Services were held in the North Temple Baptist Church, built in 1884. Later, at the North Temple Baptist Church the tall spire on the left side of the gable end was replaced by an open cage belfry. Eventually the entire east tower was removed after being badly damaged by lightning. The church building was torn down in 2007, and the congregation closed. The monument in the foreground was a memorial to residents who died in the First World War.
Information provided by the Atlantic Baptist Archives and YarmouthHistory.ca.
Files
Collection
Citation
“South Ohio United Baptist Church, formerly North Temple Baptist Church,” Atlantic Baptist Built Heritage Project , accessed April 29, 2024, https://atlanticbaptistheritage.omeka.net/items/show/305.