Opened for services in 1911, the church served not only the Methodists who built it, but other congregations as well, as there were not yet any other churches in the community. It remained in use until the 1970s, when it was sold into private hands. By 1988 the owner had hoped to build on the site and the church was donated to the RJ Haney Heritage Village & Museum, being moved to the heritage village in early January of 1988. The church was built at the corner of Foothill Road and Salmon Valley (aka Salmon River) Road.
The church was built with Gothic arched windows, a small entrance portico and a small bell tower and steeple perched on the gable roof over the entrance. It makes us wonder if the tower has managed to retain its bell or if it has disappeared over the years.
Mt. Ida Methodist Church and the Broadview School were the first two buildings to be moved to the village, which now is comprised of more than a dozen buildings, either originals or reconstructions of heritage buildings. The village and this church are open to tour from about May 13 to September 19 every year.
For the most part, the early settlers of Salmon Arm were devout people. One of the first churches constructed in the area was the Methodist Church at Hedgeman's Corner. It was situated at what is now the corner of 30th St. and the Trans Canada Highway. The manse is still standing on the site.
However, farmers in the Salmon River Valley thought it was too far to come to services, so they decided to build their own church at what is now the corner of Foothill Road and Salmon Valley Road. It was commonly known as the Mt. Ida Church and was a virtual twin to its sister church at Hedgeman's Corner. In 1911 the first services were held and the church was used continuously by a variety of congregations right up until the 1970s.
The property went into private hands and the owners, hoping to build on the site, offered the church to the Salmon Arm Museum on the provision that it be moved off the site by July 1, 1988. After a concentrated fund raising campaign, the church was moved early in January, 1988 on a cold and snowy night. Moving at a walking pace through Salmon Arm at 3:00 in the morning, it finally arrived safely at its present home. A year later it was restored to its former stature for public viewing as well as weddings.
From a plaque at the church
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