It was Dutch Loyalists transplanted from New York who were responsible for the establishment of this church. The arrival of the Loyalists around 1784 marked the beginning of the community of Tusket and of the Church of England in the district. Originally adherents to the Dutch reformed Church, which in doctrine was very similar to the Church of England, most of those of Dutch descent converted to the Church of England by the 1790s. Though they had begun petitioning for a church by 1793, one did not come into being until 1843.
Still extant and still in use as an Anglican Church the little church has proven to be a survivor. For much of its life the church had no resident rector, being served from the larger centre of Yarmouth. This remains the case today.
The little church has been well maintained over the years, though today time is beginning to catch up on the building, meaning that it is becoming in serious need of a coat of paint. A little Gothic Revival and a little Greek Revival, the church was given a large corner bell tower which has a flat topped steeple. We wonder if this is an indication of a past windstorm which denuded the building of its original steeple.
In Tusket, St. Stephen's Church is in the centre of its own cemetery.
Rootsweb lists 55 burials in the cemetery as of 2004. The earliest is that of Jacob Hatfield , 1779 - 1835. The most recent was that of Ralph Blauvelt, 1850 - 1929.
The beginnings of the Anglican Church in Yarmouth County, NS, occurs after the arrival of the Loyalists in 1784. Although no official parish was established until the early 1800's the Anglicans at Yarmouth and at Tusket, NS, were serviced by various missionaries who usually came from Shelburne or Digby, NS. Therefore, records for early Yarmouth Anglican families will sometimes be found in the records of Holy Trinity Church at Digby, NS, and in Christ Church records at Shelburne, NS.
Holy Trinity Parish in Yarmouth, NS, obtained its first resident priest in 1806, and the parish registers begin in that year. Although the Loyalist settlers at Tusket, NS, petitioned as early as 1793 for an Anglican Church to be established in that community, nothing was done until 1843 when a church was finally established there. St. Stephen’s Church and Parish existed from that time until 1906. Although St. Stephen’s Church still exists at Tusket, NS, it is now served by the priests from the Holy Trinity Parish in Yarmouth, NS.
From Argyle Township Archives
St. Stephen's Anglican Church
DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
St. Stephen's Anglican Church and cemetery sit on a large, attractive lot in Tusket, Nova Scotia facing the Tusket River. This wooden Gothic Revival and Greek Revival style church was built in 1843. The building, cemetery and property are included in the provincial designation.
HERITAGE VALUE
St. Stephen's Anglican Church is valued for its historical association with the New York Dutch Loyalists who settled in Argyle Township and it is also valued because it displays an interesting amalgam of Gothic Revival and Greek Revival styles.
The Loyalists who came on the ship, Cherry Bounce, to Tusket were largely from New York and of Dutch descent with a few from the Carolinas. Those of Dutch descent belonged to the Dutch reformed Church, which in doctrine was close to the Church of England. As at Clements in the Annapolis Valley, these Dutch Loyalists became Anglicans and as early as 1793, Anglicans and Dutch Reformed united in petitioning for a grant to erect a church. This was refused, probably because there were insufficient funds for a missionary. It was not until 1843 that a church was finally erected on land donated by Captain Abraham Blauveldt and his wife. The Bishop at the time, John Inglis, consecrated the church and the Reverend Richard Avery became the first rector.
For the remainder of the nineteenth century, St. Stephen's had its own rectors. Then economic conditions made it impossible to maintain a resident rector. From 1900 to his death seventeen years later, Jacob Blauveldt, as lay reader, kept the congregation together. Just before Blauveldt's death, the parish again had a resident priest who stayed for thirty years. Today, St. Stephen's is ministered from Yarmouth.
St. Stephen's displays both Gothic Revival and Greek Revival style elements. The simple gable front building has a vestry addition at the rear, and a square tower to one side of the front elevation. The tower also serves as narthex (entrance porch). The Greek Revival aspects include the overall form of the structure, the cornice moulding and the deep frieze board. Most prominent of the Gothic Revival style elements are the pointed frieze shape of the windows and the flying buttress motif of the front elevation corners.
St. Stephen's is the oldest remaining church building in the village of Tusket and the oldest Anglican church building in the county. St. Stephen's still holds regular services and the cemetery is still active.
CHARACTER-DEFINING ELEMENTS
- one-and-a-half storey wooden structure;
- steeply pitched gable roof;
- sidewalls each have two Gothic Revival style windows;
- small, clover-leafed cross situated on the peak of the building near the front;
- large, square tower built onto one corner, with Gothic Revival style doorway;
- smaller Gothic Revival style window located on one side of the tower;
- double Gothic Revival style apertures with slats located on the tower;
- flying buttress motif on the front elevation corners;
- vestry addition in the rear;
- return eaves on the main part of the building;
- cornice moulding;
- slender shaft mouldings running along the corners of the tower;
- cemetery surrounding the church, with original grave markers.
From Historic Places Canada