Shag Harbour United Baptist Church
Title
Shag Harbour United Baptist Church
Creator
Avery Jackson
Source
Information provided by the church.
Church Name
Shag Harbour United Baptist Church
Church Association
Shelburne Association
Province
Nova Scotia
County
Shelburne County
Address
5492 Highway 3
Status
Active
Date
Built circa 1856
Historical Information
It is reputed that there was a building on the site of this church as early as 1612, when it was noted on Samuel de Champlain’s 1612 map of Acadia. It's unknown what may have transpired on the site in the intervening years, but this church was built on the site around 1856. It continued in use, predominantly as a Baptist church, until its closing in 1970, when the congregation built their current (2023) facility.
The building, which is now Chapel Hill Museum, is located at 5492 Highway 3, in Shag Harbour, Nova Scotia, on top of a hill facing the ocean and surrounded on three sides by a burial ground. The location of the museum is thought to have been the location of a ‘vieux logis,’ or old house, as referenced on Samuel de Champlain’s 1612 map of Acadia. This map shows a trading post near Cape Sable at the mouth of the Shag Harbour Brook on a high hill, easily visible to approaching ships. It is believed that the hill on the map is the one where the museum now stands.
In 1760 one of the first ships carrying English-speaking settlers arrived in the Barrington area. On board was Joshua Nickerson, who became one of the founders of the Barrington Township and was the ‘keeper of the grant,’ a position which required him to record the markings and owners of the first land division. This land passed through Nickerson’s family to his grandson Levi who donated a portion of the land for the first church and burial ground in Shag Harbour.
The building (Chapel Hill Museum) on this location was built circa 1856 as a nondenominational church. Eventually the church was solely used by a Baptist congregation and became known as the Shag Harbour United Baptist Church. Located high on a hill with a central tower and steeple, the church often served as a beacon for mariners. In 1970 the church closed and plans were made to tear the original building down and build a larger one. In response, residents formed the Chapel Hill Society to save the building. In 1979 the congregation voted to offer the building to the society to operate it as a community museum.
Originally the building had a steeple; however, it was lost in a winter gale in 1929. The church has changed little since its construction; however, it was clad in vinyl siding covering some architectural details.
The current (2023) Shag Harbour United Baptist Church was built within a stone's-throw down-the-hill from the former church.
This building is typical for its time in terms of style, and marks a transitional shift in Baptist church architecture, moving away from a building that just has a sanctuary space. This building features a basement, which contains a recreational and kitchen space, with the sanctuary upstairs. This building features eaves on all sides of the building, rather than having two gable ends. The main entrance is off-centered on the long side of the structure that faces the road, within a small overhang, which features the only gable on the structure. Throughout this building there are classic white, rectangular, vinyl windows.
This church is on a field with Woods Harbour.
Information provided by the church.
The building, which is now Chapel Hill Museum, is located at 5492 Highway 3, in Shag Harbour, Nova Scotia, on top of a hill facing the ocean and surrounded on three sides by a burial ground. The location of the museum is thought to have been the location of a ‘vieux logis,’ or old house, as referenced on Samuel de Champlain’s 1612 map of Acadia. This map shows a trading post near Cape Sable at the mouth of the Shag Harbour Brook on a high hill, easily visible to approaching ships. It is believed that the hill on the map is the one where the museum now stands.
In 1760 one of the first ships carrying English-speaking settlers arrived in the Barrington area. On board was Joshua Nickerson, who became one of the founders of the Barrington Township and was the ‘keeper of the grant,’ a position which required him to record the markings and owners of the first land division. This land passed through Nickerson’s family to his grandson Levi who donated a portion of the land for the first church and burial ground in Shag Harbour.
The building (Chapel Hill Museum) on this location was built circa 1856 as a nondenominational church. Eventually the church was solely used by a Baptist congregation and became known as the Shag Harbour United Baptist Church. Located high on a hill with a central tower and steeple, the church often served as a beacon for mariners. In 1970 the church closed and plans were made to tear the original building down and build a larger one. In response, residents formed the Chapel Hill Society to save the building. In 1979 the congregation voted to offer the building to the society to operate it as a community museum.
Originally the building had a steeple; however, it was lost in a winter gale in 1929. The church has changed little since its construction; however, it was clad in vinyl siding covering some architectural details.
The current (2023) Shag Harbour United Baptist Church was built within a stone's-throw down-the-hill from the former church.
This building is typical for its time in terms of style, and marks a transitional shift in Baptist church architecture, moving away from a building that just has a sanctuary space. This building features a basement, which contains a recreational and kitchen space, with the sanctuary upstairs. This building features eaves on all sides of the building, rather than having two gable ends. The main entrance is off-centered on the long side of the structure that faces the road, within a small overhang, which features the only gable on the structure. Throughout this building there are classic white, rectangular, vinyl windows.
This church is on a field with Woods Harbour.
Information provided by the church.
Files
Collection
Citation
Avery Jackson, “Shag Harbour United Baptist Church,” Atlantic Baptist Built Heritage Project , accessed April 29, 2024, https://atlanticbaptistheritage.omeka.net/items/show/483.