Seaview United Baptist Church, Formerly Africville Baptist Church

Africville is a small community of predominantly Black Canadians located in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It is situated on the southern shore of Bedford Basin and existed from the early 1800s to the 1960s. From 1970 to the present, a protest has occupied space on the grounds after the demolition of almost all structures, including the Africville Baptist church and the robbery of people’s lands.

The Africville Baptist church dates to 1846 and was a rather plain structure. The church consisted of a main body structure with a steeply pitched roof, and a side addition that spanned the total length of the building. This addition has a lower pitched roof and contained the main entrance. On the side facing the water, centrally placed on the gable end was the steeple, a four-sided structure that also contained a bell, the steeple also contained an entrance. This building was a yellow color, with red trim boards. Some of the most striking features of this structure were the rounded top windows, and the architectural style of the building, not seen on other Baptist churches in the region. This building was most likely constructed by skilled tradespeople and craftsmen from the community. In the late 1960’s this building was demolished by the city of Halifax.

In 2011, after decades of protests from the community and descendants of those who once lived in Africville, a new church was built near the site of the original church. This church is almost an exact replica of the original structure. After the demolition of the church in the 1960’s residents attempted to salvage as many things as possible from the structure that they could, some of which are on display in the Seaview Baptist Church.

Information provided by the church.