Blissville Baptist Church
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Historical Information
The earliest records for religious services held in this region date back to September 7, 1833. Soon after a church was organized with forty-eight members. Brother Walter Patterson was the first church clerk. Brother Daniel Smith (Daniel Smith Jr.) was the first deacon; Brother Abner Mersereau was the first Pastor.
Rev. Pennington, who was instrumental in organizing the church, returned several times to encourage the congregation and hold revival meetings. From 1855 to 1857 eighty-three people were baptized. In 1905 the Free Christian Baptist Church became a United Baptist Church by uniting with the United Baptist Convention of the Maritime Provinces.
The present church building is the second structure and was built in approximately 1861 The original church building was located at South Branch on a lot originally owned by Tom Harris. This property is now the property of the Department of National Defence.
Both the originally building to serve the congregation and the present building (2022) are 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 the case of this structure, there is one set of doors, centrally placed on the gable end.
The current building (2022) has hints of Gothic Revival architectural detailings. Some of the most eye-catching features are the long and narrow gothic windows with eyebrow trim flowing down from their rounded points. Symmetry and proportion play important roles in Baptist church architecture from this time. One other eye-catching feature is the amount of detail on the gable end, and the balance between the front vestibule centrally place on the gable end along with the gothic style window directly above it near the peak of the roof.
Information provided by the church.
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