Lower Cape Baptist Church - Lower Cape, NB
Posted by: 
T0SHEA
N 45° 48.726 W 064° 36.210
20T E 375418 N 5074421
With forest to the west and ocean to the east, this old country church is somewhat isolated from the madding crowd.
Waymark Code: WMT8Z5
Location: New Brunswick, Canada
Date Posted: 10/16/2016
Views: 1
Lower Cape Baptist stands in a tiny pocket of small farms along the western shore of the Bay of Fundy, in an area where civilization consists of not much more than a few farms hacked out of the wilderness and a nearby campground.
Unable to find any information on Lower Cape Baptist I contacted the present minister, who kindly replied and related the following;
(not quoted verbatim):
Lower Cape Baptist was established in 1825, the first building being the Calkins Meeting House, built at that time. Destroyed by fire in 1888, it was replaced by the present structure in 1892. Since the church's establishment it has been served by no less than 52 ministers.
Another of several churches we encountered in the Maritimes with a severely truncated steeple, this may be another victim of a severe winter storm. It seems that a great many steeples in the Maritimes have hit the ground during one of these storms.
Having been restored in recent times, the church is today entirely clad in vinyl siding, with rectangular windows throughout. The steeple/bell tower is an interesting one, set into the front façade of the building with a small gabled portico over the entrance, a single window above and two vents in the belfry, one in the front and one in the side. Most likely, at one time an addition was made to the front of the sanctuary, surrounding the tower. Though many windows have leaded and bevelled glass, we saw no stained glass. Given the utilitarian exterior of the building, it's impossible to imagine what it looked like when built. Its age, though, is betrayed by its foundation, made of large cut stones, possibly sandstone or freestone.
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