Grafton Baptist Church

The Kirk was originally built by the Presbyterian congregation of Lower Southampton in 1890. The steeple bell was shipped to Millville by rail and moved to the church site by a team of horses pulling a sled prior to the consecration in 1903. 

It is likely that in 1925, the Presbyterian Church became a United Church of Canada. It underwent extensive renovations in the 1950s and was moved to Landegger Drive in Nackawic in 1966. When the St. Anne-Nackawic Pulp and Paper Mill was built and the village established, the now United Church congregation eventually outgrew the building, which was then put up for tender. 

Grafton Baptist Church purchased the building in December 1985. On February 26-27, 1986, the building was moved from Nackawic to Grafton. There were 14 trucks with hydro telephone linemen who disconnected the overhead wires along the way as the church was moved.

A sod-turning ceremony was held on May 19, 1986. A basement was poured at the Grafton site to provide facilities for Sunday School classes, meetings and Bible Study. The sanctuary seats just over 100, and when it was moved to Grafton, the church was furnished by items purchased from the Lower Cambridge United Baptist Church. 

Funds raised through a special offering at the dedication went towards a ‘Dedication Project’ to construct a new entry, including a cloakroom and second stairway to the basement. Other projects in the first year included the completion of the basement, which made space for a fully equipped kitchen, a social area, and a washroom. 

The church is now known as Grafton Baptist Church.