Falmouth Baptist Church

The first Falmouth Baptist Church was constituted in 1830, when a group of members from the Windsor Baptist Church organized a church in Falmouth. Construction was completed in 1831. This church was most likely built in the meeting house style, 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.

In 1862 the Falmouth Baptist Church congregation discussed building a larger church to accommodate its expansion. The construction was carried out near the original church by master builder John Edmund Taylor. The church, erected in 1871, features a stencilled wall frieze that adorns the four walls of the nave (oil on plaster c.1870). The current church (2022) also resembles and has hints of the meeting house style. The church is rather plain and contains a saddle back steeple, situated within the main structure of the church. This feature is uncommon for its time and makes its architecture different from many other Baptist churches in the region. Many churches have a tower that is constructed jutting out from the main structure. This church resembles structures built around the same timeframe by Anglican congregations. A unique feature of this building is the small medallion windows situated on all sides of the tower, near where the steeple begins. Other key features are the two entranceways on either side of the front façade, perhaps hinting to the mentality of the founding congregants; the three large, ornate arched gothic style windows, situated high near the peak on the front façade; and along each side of the building there are three, large, gothic style arched windows.

This church has undergone many exterior renovations, including the application of white vinyl siding on the entirety of the building. The three arched windows set near the peak of the building have been replaced by two white vinyl windows. The steeple has been changed and has lost much of its original architectural detailings. The medallion windows set near the top of the tower have been replaced with vinyl vents.

The church was struck by lightning in 2023 and is currently (2023) undergoing repairs.

Information provided by the church.