Mira Bay United Baptist Church
Title
Mira Bay United Baptist Church
Creator
Avery Jackson
Source
Information provided by Atlantic Baptist Archives - Churches by the Sea, September 10, 1983.
Church Name
Mira Bay United Baptist Church
Church Association
Formerly Cape Breton Association
Province
Nova Scotia
County
Cape Breton County
Address
Mira Gut, Cape Breton
Status
Unknown
Date
Originally built circa 1838, then 1870
Historical Information
The Mira Bay Baptist Church congregation was first organized in 1838, with Rev Joseph Dimock, a minister at Chester.
The congregation constructed their first building “on a slope overlooking the beautiful waters of Mira Bay”. This structure was long gone by the time Allen Gibson wrote an article on this church in 1983; however, the site of this first Baptist church at Mira Bay is marked by an old cemetery. It is likely that this first church to serve this congregation was built in the Meeting House style. A style which is common for this timeframe in Atlantic Baptist architecture. The style is characterized by being 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.
The last church to serve this congregation, built in 1870, has hints of Gothic Revival architecture. It is common among rural communities in Atlantic Canada that there was no formal architect that assisted in the construction of this structure. It is likely that the carpenters charged with the construction of this building learned their practical skills on the job. The building is rather small, and resembles the size of a Baptist meeting house, as opposed to other gothic revival style churches from this timeframe.
The 1870 church has a three bay facade on the gable end, with the main entrance centrally placed, in the base of the tower. A somewhat unusual feature of this building is that there are no windows on the gable end. On each of the eave-sides of the building there are three gothic revival style windows that stretch about two feet from the foundation to a foot from the eaves. The building also features a slight return in the eaves, on the gable end. One of the most striking features of this building is the built-in tower structure, that only extends a few inches forward from the front facade of the building. This tower reaches about 6 feet above the main roofline and is capped by a cone shaped spire, with a ball to cap it.
In 1966, this building was attacked by vandals, who stole a number of religious relics (furniture) from the facility. A decade passed and in 1976, plans were made to restore the building after a hiatus of not having services. Pulpit chairs were given by the Glace Bay Baptist Church, and the Baptist Church in Sydney gave other furnishings and a number of hymn books.
On Sunday, August 16, 1981, the first service in 15 years was held in the church, Four additional services were held before closing the church for the 1981 season. The church has since closed (2023).
Information from Churches by the Sea, M. Allen Gibson, Chronicle Herald, September 10, 1983.
The congregation constructed their first building “on a slope overlooking the beautiful waters of Mira Bay”. This structure was long gone by the time Allen Gibson wrote an article on this church in 1983; however, the site of this first Baptist church at Mira Bay is marked by an old cemetery. It is likely that this first church to serve this congregation was built in the Meeting House style. A style which is common for this timeframe in Atlantic Baptist architecture. The style is characterized by being 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.
The last church to serve this congregation, built in 1870, has hints of Gothic Revival architecture. It is common among rural communities in Atlantic Canada that there was no formal architect that assisted in the construction of this structure. It is likely that the carpenters charged with the construction of this building learned their practical skills on the job. The building is rather small, and resembles the size of a Baptist meeting house, as opposed to other gothic revival style churches from this timeframe.
The 1870 church has a three bay facade on the gable end, with the main entrance centrally placed, in the base of the tower. A somewhat unusual feature of this building is that there are no windows on the gable end. On each of the eave-sides of the building there are three gothic revival style windows that stretch about two feet from the foundation to a foot from the eaves. The building also features a slight return in the eaves, on the gable end. One of the most striking features of this building is the built-in tower structure, that only extends a few inches forward from the front facade of the building. This tower reaches about 6 feet above the main roofline and is capped by a cone shaped spire, with a ball to cap it.
In 1966, this building was attacked by vandals, who stole a number of religious relics (furniture) from the facility. A decade passed and in 1976, plans were made to restore the building after a hiatus of not having services. Pulpit chairs were given by the Glace Bay Baptist Church, and the Baptist Church in Sydney gave other furnishings and a number of hymn books.
On Sunday, August 16, 1981, the first service in 15 years was held in the church, Four additional services were held before closing the church for the 1981 season. The church has since closed (2023).
Information from Churches by the Sea, M. Allen Gibson, Chronicle Herald, September 10, 1983.
Files
Collection
Citation
Avery Jackson, “Mira Bay United Baptist Church,” Atlantic Baptist Built Heritage Project , accessed April 28, 2024, https://atlanticbaptistheritage.omeka.net/items/show/440.