Port Bickerton United Baptist Church
Title
Port Bickerton United Baptist Church
Creator
Avery Jackson
Source
Information provided by the Port Bickerton United Baptist Church.
Church Name
Port Bickerton United Baptist Church
Church Association
Northeast Nova Baptist Association
Province
Nova Scotia
County
Guysborough County
Address
4986 Marine Dr, Fishermans Harbour, NS
Status
Active
Date
Built 1895, current building circa 1905
Historical Information
This congregation can trace its roots back to the original Baptist meeting house built in Indian Harbour (Port Hilford) in 1845, and later another Meeting House built along the Saint Mary’s River in 1846. Along with these buildings it can also trace its founding members, coming from the Little Hope Baptist Church, in Fishermans Harbour.
It was not until 1895 that a Baptist/Union Meeting House was built in Port Bickerton. 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.
There seems to be a regular occurrence of dangerous storms in this region of Nova Scotia. Such a storm hit the community of Port Bickerton in October of 1905, which led to the destruction of the 10-year-old building. It was soon after this destruction that the congregation decided to construct their current (2023) building.
This building resembles Baptist churches built of an earlier style. During the late nineteenth to early twentieth century there was a shift in Baptist church architecture 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 has a three-bay facade on the gable end, with a centrally placed tower. It is a pleasant blend of classical and Gothic Revival styles, evident in the use of clean straight lines, classical windows on the front facade, with classical hooded trim boards, and gothic revival straight point stained glass windows on the eave-sides and rear gable end. This church had a rear chancel addition in 1949, along with a Sunday School room off the chancel on the right side of the building and the lowering of the vaulted ceiling. Although the building no longer maintains many of its original exterior and interior architectural embellishments, due to the application of vinyl siding, removal of the original pews, lowering of the ceiling, and application of wood paneling, it boasts some of the most ornate and impressive stained glass windows in a countryside Baptist church in Nova Scotia. These windows can be found at the front of the interior of the church. These windows were donated by Earl Kaiser in memory of his mother.
In 1908 this church began being used solely by the Baptists when it was purchased by the Home Mission Board. When the renovations were undertaken to the church in the 1940’s the original pews and pulpit were given to the Little Hope Baptist Church.
The church still sits on its original foundation, idyllically positioned overlooking Port Bickerton.
This church is in a St. Mary’s Baptist Pastoral Charge that contains Sonora, Port Bickerton, and Port Hilford United Baptist Churches.
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.
Information provided by the Port Bickerton United Baptist Church
It was not until 1895 that a Baptist/Union Meeting House was built in Port Bickerton. 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.
There seems to be a regular occurrence of dangerous storms in this region of Nova Scotia. Such a storm hit the community of Port Bickerton in October of 1905, which led to the destruction of the 10-year-old building. It was soon after this destruction that the congregation decided to construct their current (2023) building.
This building resembles Baptist churches built of an earlier style. During the late nineteenth to early twentieth century there was a shift in Baptist church architecture 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 has a three-bay facade on the gable end, with a centrally placed tower. It is a pleasant blend of classical and Gothic Revival styles, evident in the use of clean straight lines, classical windows on the front facade, with classical hooded trim boards, and gothic revival straight point stained glass windows on the eave-sides and rear gable end. This church had a rear chancel addition in 1949, along with a Sunday School room off the chancel on the right side of the building and the lowering of the vaulted ceiling. Although the building no longer maintains many of its original exterior and interior architectural embellishments, due to the application of vinyl siding, removal of the original pews, lowering of the ceiling, and application of wood paneling, it boasts some of the most ornate and impressive stained glass windows in a countryside Baptist church in Nova Scotia. These windows can be found at the front of the interior of the church. These windows were donated by Earl Kaiser in memory of his mother.
In 1908 this church began being used solely by the Baptists when it was purchased by the Home Mission Board. When the renovations were undertaken to the church in the 1940’s the original pews and pulpit were given to the Little Hope Baptist Church.
The church still sits on its original foundation, idyllically positioned overlooking Port Bickerton.
This church is in a St. Mary’s Baptist Pastoral Charge that contains Sonora, Port Bickerton, and Port Hilford United Baptist Churches.
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.
Information provided by the Port Bickerton United Baptist Church
Files
Collection
Citation
Avery Jackson, “Port Bickerton United Baptist Church,” Atlantic Baptist Built Heritage Project , accessed May 3, 2024, https://atlanticbaptistheritage.omeka.net/items/show/459.