New Elm Union Church

This church is a fine example of a meeting house, a common style among Protestant congregations 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 is one doorway, giving a hint to the type of mindset the original congregation had.

This building is a union church and was used and constructed by multiple Protestant denominations. It is now part of the North Queens Baptist Pastorate, which contains seven churches in total, including North Brookfield, South Brookfield, Westfield, Caledonia, Kempt, Northfield, and New Elm Union Church.

Some defining features of this structure are the simplified Gothic Revival Meeting House style, with its temple plan, symmetrical facade, simplified corner boards and window ornaments, and wooden shingle cladding. The front façade is broken up into three bays, with a rectangular shaped window on either side of the centrally placed doorway on the gable end. This building is defined by its relatively uncluttered detailings and façades. Along each side are three more of these rectangular shaped windows. The roof is a medium pitch and would have originally been covered with wooden shingles, now it is covered with red asphalt shingles.

Information provided by the church.