Wilsons Beach United Baptist Church
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Historical Information
The church was founded in 1844 by Rev. William Carleton. The congregation consisted of 15 members. It is believed that the church met in homes and possibly the schoolhouse until the construction of the building in the 1860’s. The first permanent pastor of the church was Rev. Peter Malloch. Before Rev. Malloch arrived on Campobello Island and even for many years after he left, the church often struggled with finding permanent pastors. Despite these early struggles, the church survived and is still active today.
This church is typical for its time in terms of style. Like many country Baptist churches in Atlantic Canada, it was designed and built by local trades- and craftspeople. These workers most likely did not have any formal training constructing churches, but instead learned through working. This church has hints of the Gothic Revival style and is built in a symmetrical design, which is a bit unusual for churches of this period. Many churches from this period are built with an unsymmetrical design and in the Akron Plan.
Some of the most striking features of this building include the three-bay façade, with a centrally placed steeple, on the gable end. This church has maintained many of its original interior features including its pews. Its ornate stained-glass windows are also original to the structure, along with the bell in the belfry. One of the most striking features on the interior of the church are the walls that are still covered in the original, stained, wood panelling.
In the 1980’s an ‘L’ was added to the right side of the structure, containing a fellowship hall, bathrooms, pastor’s office and two meeting rooms.
This church is now covered in vinyl siding, with black asphalt shingles on the roof; however, originally it was covered in white wooden clad boards.
Information provided by the church.