Shelburne United Baptist Church
Title
Shelburne United Baptist Church
Creator
Avery Jackson
Source
Information provided by the Atlantic Baptist Archives and Shelburne County Archives & Genealogical Society.
Church Name
Shelburne United Baptist Church
Church Association
Shelburne Association
Province
Nova Scotia
County
Shelburne County
Address
139 Mowatt St, Shelburne, NS
Status
Active
Date
Built 1874
Historical Information
The second oldest Baptist church to have continuous worship in Nova Scotia, Shelburne Baptist was founded in 1783 by Black Loyalist David George. It was reorganized in 1795 and continues to hold services to this day (2023).
The first building to house this congregation was built in the early 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.
The current (2023) Shelburne Baptist was built in 1874, and sported the usual design embellishments for a wooden church built in the Gothic Revival style of mid-to-late nineteenth century. Today (2023), many of the decorative elements have disappeared, whether by wind, rain or during renovations. The church was built with no less than nine spires: one on each of the four corners of the tower, surrounding the taller central spire, and one on each corner of the main structure. The top of the tower, beneath the belfry and spire, was given a series of long dentils or corbels, while more dentils ran along under the eaves. All the smaller spires were set atop fluted, round pillars which continued to ground level. Throughout were contrasting paint colors to bring out the detail on the church. Today only the majority of the round pillars can be seen, with fluting covered over - the rest of the church exposing not much more than vinyl siding to the weather. The lancet windows with hoods remain, as does the lancet transom with hood over the door.
Information provided by the Atlantic Baptist Archives and Shelburne County Archives & Genealogical Society.
The first building to house this congregation was built in the early 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.
The current (2023) Shelburne Baptist was built in 1874, and sported the usual design embellishments for a wooden church built in the Gothic Revival style of mid-to-late nineteenth century. Today (2023), many of the decorative elements have disappeared, whether by wind, rain or during renovations. The church was built with no less than nine spires: one on each of the four corners of the tower, surrounding the taller central spire, and one on each corner of the main structure. The top of the tower, beneath the belfry and spire, was given a series of long dentils or corbels, while more dentils ran along under the eaves. All the smaller spires were set atop fluted, round pillars which continued to ground level. Throughout were contrasting paint colors to bring out the detail on the church. Today only the majority of the round pillars can be seen, with fluting covered over - the rest of the church exposing not much more than vinyl siding to the weather. The lancet windows with hoods remain, as does the lancet transom with hood over the door.
Information provided by the Atlantic Baptist Archives and Shelburne County Archives & Genealogical Society.
Files
Collection
Citation
Avery Jackson, “Shelburne United Baptist Church,” Atlantic Baptist Built Heritage Project , accessed April 29, 2024, https://atlanticbaptistheritage.omeka.net/items/show/487.