Indian Harbour Baptist Church
Title
Indian Harbour Baptist Church
Creator
Avery Jackson
Source
Information provided by the Guysborough Genealogical Society, Sonora, and Port Bickerton United Baptist Churches.
Church Name
Indian Harbour Baptist Church
Church Association
Northeast Nova Baptist Association
Province
Nova Scotia
County
Guysborough County
Address
Port Hilford, Guysborough, NS
Status
Demolished
Date
Built 1845 - 1853
Historical Information
The original name for the community of Port Hilford was Indian Harbour. This community is situated close to Indian Harbour Lake, and not to be mistaken with the Indian Harbour in the Halifax Regional Municipality.
The first Baptist church to serve this region had its beginnings around 1845, when construction on a small meeting house started. This building was either a Congregational Meeting House, which would have been led by members of the community, or a Baptist Meeting House, led by an ordained Baptist minister. 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.
Little is known about this initial ‘Mother Church;’ however, it is known that on March 29th, 1846, members from Indian Harbour were ‘dismissed regularly’ to form a church along the St. Mary’s River, led by the Rev. W. Hobbs.
The Guysborough Genealogical Society states that a Baptist church in Indian Harbour began in 1845 and was not completed until 1853. This would suggest that the exterior of the building was completed in 1845, but the interior took many years to complete, due to either financial issues, and/or lack of labor, caused by members leaving to form other Baptist churches in the region. From conversations with locals in the Port Hilford area, it is believed that this building was later used as a Masonic Lodge, or IOOF (Independent Order of the Odd Fellows) Hall.
This church is believed to be the first Baptist church in the region that was not along the St. Mary’s River. Its initial members and their descendants went on to form other Baptist churches in the region.
Information provided by the Guysborough Genealogical Society, Sonora, and Port Bickerton United Baptist Churches.
The first Baptist church to serve this region had its beginnings around 1845, when construction on a small meeting house started. This building was either a Congregational Meeting House, which would have been led by members of the community, or a Baptist Meeting House, led by an ordained Baptist minister. 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.
Little is known about this initial ‘Mother Church;’ however, it is known that on March 29th, 1846, members from Indian Harbour were ‘dismissed regularly’ to form a church along the St. Mary’s River, led by the Rev. W. Hobbs.
The Guysborough Genealogical Society states that a Baptist church in Indian Harbour began in 1845 and was not completed until 1853. This would suggest that the exterior of the building was completed in 1845, but the interior took many years to complete, due to either financial issues, and/or lack of labor, caused by members leaving to form other Baptist churches in the region. From conversations with locals in the Port Hilford area, it is believed that this building was later used as a Masonic Lodge, or IOOF (Independent Order of the Odd Fellows) Hall.
This church is believed to be the first Baptist church in the region that was not along the St. Mary’s River. Its initial members and their descendants went on to form other Baptist churches in the region.
Information provided by the Guysborough Genealogical Society, Sonora, and Port Bickerton United Baptist Churches.
Collection
Citation
Avery Jackson, “Indian Harbour Baptist Church,” Atlantic Baptist Built Heritage Project , accessed May 3, 2024, https://atlanticbaptistheritage.omeka.net/items/show/463.