Albany Community Church; Formerly New Albany United Baptist Church

Albany Community Church; Formerly New Albany United Baptist Church

Albany Community Church; Formerly New Albany United Baptist Church

Annapolis- Digby

Nova Scotia

Annapolis

5939 Highway 10, Albany, NS.

Alternative Use

Constructed circa 1875

In 1829, congregants from Nictaux and Paradise, led by Rev I.E. Bill and Rev. Thomas Ansley, organized a Baptist Church in New Albany. The church evolved from being held in homes to the local schoolhouse, which later burned down. The New Albany Baptist Church deed describes the purchase of one half-acre of land for the price of 21 dollars in December 16, 1878. This site has been identified as the home of Beriah Bent, where early evangelical meetings were first held. Local resources were used to build the church, such as beams from Adolphus Farm Mill. In May of 1877 the church was dedicated. Until 1910, New Albany was part of a field including: East Dalhousie, Falkland Ridge, and Springfield. In 1915 New Albany became attached to the Lawrencetown pastorate. In the concluding decade of the twentieth century the building became the home of “The Albany Community Church,” and on December 20, 1994 the property was registered as a “Municipal Heritage Property” by the Municipality of Annapolis County.

Originally called the New Albany Baptist Church, construction of the Albany Community Church began in 1875 and was dedicated on May 20th, 1877. The church beautifully demonstrates a transitional phase in Nova Scotia Baptist architecture between the early 19th century meeting houses and the late 19th century church buildings. The meeting house style is indicated in the overall form of a simple gable roof with double entranceways while the pointed arches, with shouldered architraves, of the window and door frames herald a Gothic Revival Style. Often when there are two entrances on a church of this style it means that one of the doors was usually meant for the men and the other for the women; once inside they were expected to sit on opposite sides of the church.

Information provided by: Registered Heritage Properties of Annapolis County website