Little River Baptist Church

The Little River Baptist Church was formed in 1847 and organized in 1849 by Elder John E. Cogswell, who was serving at that time a large field from Parrsboro to River Philip, and Elder William Hobbs, who was serving in Waterford, now known as Pugwash. A period of revival swept through from Pugwash to Leicester in 1854, causing the church to be strengthened. In 1860, William Dobson, after serving as a deacon in the church for a time, was ordained as an evangelist. Though much of his ministry was in P.E.I., the same excitement for evangelism flourished here. By 1890, membership in Little River Baptist Church peaked at 109.

A small body of baptized believers was found as early as 1870 in Oxford. In 1876, a number of members from Little River requested the church to move their membership to Oxford. Oxford was formally constituted and accepted into membership into the Eastern Baptist Association. While early services were held in the old Methodist Church, now on Ellis Street, before long, during E. C. Corey's ministry, a church building was constructed down on Lower Main Street, where the Nazarene church presently meets.

Prior to the construction of the Little River Baptist Church, services were held in the local schoolhouse, as well as the schoolhouse in Leicester. This church is a fine example of a Baptist meetinghouse, a common style among Baptists in early to mid-nineteenth century Atlantic Canada. This style is often characterized by its small and rather plain facility, with no steeple, and gothic embellishments. The front entrance was often on the gable end, with either two entrances, one on the left and right sides of the front façade, one meant for the men and the other for women; or a centrally placed doorway. In this case there are two doorways, giving a hint to the type of mindset the original congregation had.

This church has hints of architectural detailings in the Gothic Revival style, such as the gothic style arched windows and label hood mouldings. Symmetry and balance play a large part in the layout of these early Baptist churches, which is noticeable in the design of this building. A unique feature of this building are the two small gothic windows centrally placed near the peak on the front façade.

As described above, members of this congregation went on to form the Oxford Baptist Church congregation. To this day (2022) the congregations continue to be in a pastorate, share a minister, and supply minister services to Wallace River.

Information provided by the church.