Westchester United Baptist Church, formally Greenville Baptist Church
Title
Westchester United Baptist Church, formally Greenville Baptist Church
Creator
Avery Jackson
Source
Information provided by Atlantic Baptist Archives - Churches by the Sea, N.D., Chronicle Herald and the Church.
Church Name
Westchester United Baptist Church, formally Greenville Baptist Church
Church Association
Cumberland Association
Province
Nova Scotia
County
Cumberland County
Address
4727 Wentworth Collingwood Rd, Westchester Station, NS
Status
Active
Date
Built circa 1854
Historical Information
The Westchester United Baptist Church, formerly Greenville Baptist Church, was formally organized in 1830.
On April 1st, 1854 David Harris Webb and Esther A Webb deeded a lot of land to George Rushton, James Purdy, and Levi Eagles, a committee in trust for the sum of 20 shillings. The document stipulated a number of inhabitants of Wallace Road being desirous of erecting a building on Wallace Road to be called a “baptist chapel” but free to any other gospel minister when not occupied by a Baptist and be called by the name of “Greenville Chapel” (at this time Westchester Station was known as Greenville).
This church was 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.
This building is now covered in vinyl siding; however, many of the architectural details still remain intact. Some of the most striking features of this building include the return eaves on the gable end, the corner pilaster boards on each corner, and the large, classical triangular windows near the peak on the gable end. This church has a vast amount of Classical architectural embellishments throughout the construction, typical for its time and style. A new black, asphalt shingle roof was installed in 2022.
This church is part of a pastoral field containing Wentworth, Westchester, Millvale, and New Annan. Services are held in all four churches each Sunday (2023).
Information from Churches by the Sea, M. Allen Gibson, Chronicle Herald, October 19, 1968, and the church.
On April 1st, 1854 David Harris Webb and Esther A Webb deeded a lot of land to George Rushton, James Purdy, and Levi Eagles, a committee in trust for the sum of 20 shillings. The document stipulated a number of inhabitants of Wallace Road being desirous of erecting a building on Wallace Road to be called a “baptist chapel” but free to any other gospel minister when not occupied by a Baptist and be called by the name of “Greenville Chapel” (at this time Westchester Station was known as Greenville).
This church was 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.
This building is now covered in vinyl siding; however, many of the architectural details still remain intact. Some of the most striking features of this building include the return eaves on the gable end, the corner pilaster boards on each corner, and the large, classical triangular windows near the peak on the gable end. This church has a vast amount of Classical architectural embellishments throughout the construction, typical for its time and style. A new black, asphalt shingle roof was installed in 2022.
This church is part of a pastoral field containing Wentworth, Westchester, Millvale, and New Annan. Services are held in all four churches each Sunday (2023).
Information from Churches by the Sea, M. Allen Gibson, Chronicle Herald, October 19, 1968, and the church.
Files
Collection
Citation
Avery Jackson, “Westchester United Baptist Church, formally Greenville Baptist Church,” Atlantic Baptist Built Heritage Project , accessed April 28, 2024, https://atlanticbaptistheritage.omeka.net/items/show/498.