Sonora United Baptist Church
Title
Sonora United Baptist Church
Creator
Avery Jackson
Source
Information provided by the Sonora United Baptist Church.
Church Name
Sonora United Baptist Church
Church Association
Northeast Nova Baptist Association
Province
Nova Scotia
County
Guysborough County
Address
1871 Sonora Road, Sherbrooke, Guysborough, NS
Status
Active
Date
Built 1846, current building 1887
Historical Information
The first Baptist church that was along the St. Mary’s River, and served the Baptist members from Sonora, had its beginnings on March 29th, 1846, when members from the Indian Harbor ‘Mother Church’ congregation were ‘dismissed regularly’ to form a church along the St. Mary’s River, led by the Rev. W. Hobbs.
This initial building was somewhat small, and built in the Meeting House Style. The Meeting House style was typical of Baptist and Congregational congregations around this time frame in Atlantic Canada, due to its simplistic and rather quick-to-build design. The Meeting House style is characterized by a 1 ½ storey wood-frame construction, with either one or two entranceways located on the gable end. This building would have been covered in either wooden clad boards, or cedar shakes, and had a roof covered in wooden shingles. Heating sources during this time consisted of either a wood or coal burning stove, with illumination within the building coming from either whale oil or kerosene oil lamps.
On February 27, 1887, the church, then located where the current (2023) cemetery is located, burned, leading to the congregation building a new church facility later that year. It is interesting to note that, a few months prior to the building being destroyed by fire, it was struck by lightning, which did a great deal of damage to the structure. The land for the building constructed in 1887 was deeded by Hugh McCutcheson.
The building built in 1887 is typical for its time in terms of style, and represented a shift in Baptist church architecture in the late-nineteenth to early twentieth century, which saw Baptist congregations moving away from a symmetrically designed church, often with a three bay facade and centrally placed tower on the gable end, to one that was asymmetrical, with a tower and main entrance located on the side of the building. This church maintains many of its original architectural embellishments, both on the interior and exterior. It appears to be a mixture of Classical and Gothic Revival style, noticeable in the classical rounded top window on the gable end, near the peak, and the oversized rectangular windows on the eave sides. Some interesting Gothic Revival features can be found on the rear gable, in the straight-point, orange stained glass windows. These straight-pointed windows appear to be the same size, color, and style as those found in the former Aspen United Baptist Church, which leads one to believe, due to their close proximity in both distance and age, that they were built by the same builders or company. The two orange stained glass windows have been replicated, due to the originals being damaged by storms over the years.
Once inside the church, one is greeted by three rows of pews, with two aisles, which is somewhat unusual for a church of this size and style. The pews are the original pews from the building. The building still contains its original pulpit, ornate woodworks, and trim boards.
In the 1950’s, due to mixed feelings about a pastor, there was a split from both the Port Bickerton United Baptist Church and the Sonora United Baptist Church. This led to the formation of Gospel Light Baptist Church, formerly Calvary Faith Independent Baptist Church, in Port Bickerton and Calvary Faith Independent Baptist Church in Sonora, both of which were formed with a pastorate of their own.
In the 1960’s the church was raised and put on a new poured concrete foundation, leading to the creation of a kitchen and recreational space in the basement. New vinyl windows were added to the eave-sides of the building during this time, as well.
This church is in a St. Mary’s Baptist Pastoral Charge that includes Sonora, Port Bickerton, and Port Hilford United Baptist Churches.
Information provided by the Sonora United Baptist Church.
This initial building was somewhat small, and built in the Meeting House Style. The Meeting House style was typical of Baptist and Congregational congregations around this time frame in Atlantic Canada, due to its simplistic and rather quick-to-build design. The Meeting House style is characterized by a 1 ½ storey wood-frame construction, with either one or two entranceways located on the gable end. This building would have been covered in either wooden clad boards, or cedar shakes, and had a roof covered in wooden shingles. Heating sources during this time consisted of either a wood or coal burning stove, with illumination within the building coming from either whale oil or kerosene oil lamps.
On February 27, 1887, the church, then located where the current (2023) cemetery is located, burned, leading to the congregation building a new church facility later that year. It is interesting to note that, a few months prior to the building being destroyed by fire, it was struck by lightning, which did a great deal of damage to the structure. The land for the building constructed in 1887 was deeded by Hugh McCutcheson.
The building built in 1887 is typical for its time in terms of style, and represented a shift in Baptist church architecture in the late-nineteenth to early twentieth century, which saw Baptist congregations moving away from a symmetrically designed church, often with a three bay facade and centrally placed tower on the gable end, to one that was asymmetrical, with a tower and main entrance located on the side of the building. This church maintains many of its original architectural embellishments, both on the interior and exterior. It appears to be a mixture of Classical and Gothic Revival style, noticeable in the classical rounded top window on the gable end, near the peak, and the oversized rectangular windows on the eave sides. Some interesting Gothic Revival features can be found on the rear gable, in the straight-point, orange stained glass windows. These straight-pointed windows appear to be the same size, color, and style as those found in the former Aspen United Baptist Church, which leads one to believe, due to their close proximity in both distance and age, that they were built by the same builders or company. The two orange stained glass windows have been replicated, due to the originals being damaged by storms over the years.
Once inside the church, one is greeted by three rows of pews, with two aisles, which is somewhat unusual for a church of this size and style. The pews are the original pews from the building. The building still contains its original pulpit, ornate woodworks, and trim boards.
In the 1950’s, due to mixed feelings about a pastor, there was a split from both the Port Bickerton United Baptist Church and the Sonora United Baptist Church. This led to the formation of Gospel Light Baptist Church, formerly Calvary Faith Independent Baptist Church, in Port Bickerton and Calvary Faith Independent Baptist Church in Sonora, both of which were formed with a pastorate of their own.
In the 1960’s the church was raised and put on a new poured concrete foundation, leading to the creation of a kitchen and recreational space in the basement. New vinyl windows were added to the eave-sides of the building during this time, as well.
This church is in a St. Mary’s Baptist Pastoral Charge that includes Sonora, Port Bickerton, and Port Hilford United Baptist Churches.
Information provided by the Sonora United Baptist Church.
Files
Collection
Citation
Avery Jackson, “Sonora United Baptist Church,” Atlantic Baptist Built Heritage Project , accessed May 4, 2024, https://atlanticbaptistheritage.omeka.net/items/show/458.