Cardwell United Baptist Church, formerly Sussex Baptist Church
Title
Cardwell United Baptist Church, formerly Sussex Baptist Church
Creator
Avery Jackson
Source
Kings County Museum, New Brunswick
Church Name
Cardwell United Baptist Church, formerly Sussex Baptist Church
Church Association
Saint John - Kings Association
Province
New Brunswick
County
Kings County
Address
Across from 27 Church Loop, Penobsquis, NB
Status
Demolished 1990s
Date
Built 1823, then circa 1882
Historical Information
The Cardwell United Baptist Church, formerly Sussex Baptist Church, was originally built in 1823, to serve the community of Cardwell. It was most likely built in the Meeting House style, common among Baptists in Atlantic Canada during the time. This style is characterized by a 1 ½ wood-frame construction, with either one or two entranceways located on the gable end. One can tell a lot about the beliefs of a congregation by examining their architecture. Often when there are two doors, one located on each side of the front facade, one door was used by the men, and the other by the women.
This building was later replaced by a larger, more accommodating building for the growing congregation around 1882. This building resembled the Penobsquis Baptist Church that was built a few years prior, but was a smaller version. It is likely, given the close proximity of both buildings, that they were built by the same architect. This building was built in the Gothic Revival style, and featured three gothic revival windows on either side of the church structure. The front facade was broken up into three-bays with the outer bays having a gothic window, the same size as those on the eaves-sides, and a large finial directly above the corner pilaster boards. The steeple protruded forwards from the main structure and featured a centrally placed doorway, with gothic eyebrow trim above it. The tower structure was somewhat low, and did not reach very much higher than the main building. Above this, was a cone shaped steeple, that reached high above the main structure, doubling its height.
As years went on, and when the new Penobsquis church building was constructed, services were not held in the church. The last funeral in the building was held in the latter 1980s. The lack of use for this facility led to its eventual demolition in the 1990s.
This church was formerly part of the Sussex Parish, that also included the Penobsquis, Portage Valley, and South Branch Baptist Churches. This church closed and was demolished in the 1990s and stood where the Cardwell Cemetery is today (2023).
Information from Kings County Museum, NB and Atlantic Baptist Archives.
This building was later replaced by a larger, more accommodating building for the growing congregation around 1882. This building resembled the Penobsquis Baptist Church that was built a few years prior, but was a smaller version. It is likely, given the close proximity of both buildings, that they were built by the same architect. This building was built in the Gothic Revival style, and featured three gothic revival windows on either side of the church structure. The front facade was broken up into three-bays with the outer bays having a gothic window, the same size as those on the eaves-sides, and a large finial directly above the corner pilaster boards. The steeple protruded forwards from the main structure and featured a centrally placed doorway, with gothic eyebrow trim above it. The tower structure was somewhat low, and did not reach very much higher than the main building. Above this, was a cone shaped steeple, that reached high above the main structure, doubling its height.
As years went on, and when the new Penobsquis church building was constructed, services were not held in the church. The last funeral in the building was held in the latter 1980s. The lack of use for this facility led to its eventual demolition in the 1990s.
This church was formerly part of the Sussex Parish, that also included the Penobsquis, Portage Valley, and South Branch Baptist Churches. This church closed and was demolished in the 1990s and stood where the Cardwell Cemetery is today (2023).
Information from Kings County Museum, NB and Atlantic Baptist Archives.
Files
Collection
Citation
Avery Jackson, “Cardwell United Baptist Church, formerly Sussex Baptist Church,” Atlantic Baptist Built Heritage Project , accessed April 28, 2024, https://atlanticbaptistheritage.omeka.net/items/show/416.