This village seems to have gone through churches rather quickly in the nineteenth century, seemingly requiring a new one every 25 to 30 years. They started in 1843 with their first Methodist Church, followed it in 1867 with the second and dedicated their third and final church on November 14, 1897. Maybe they just didn't get it quite right on either of their first two attempts.
In any event, they must have been pleased with the third try, as they kept it around and continue to use it with regularity. All three churches were built as Methodist churches; this one, however became a United Church with
Church Union in Canada in 1925. Though the church is considered as being in Riverport, it nearer to Rose Bay, some 1200 metres east, actually standing on its western edge.
This is quite an interesting building, both for its design and its footprint. Beginning with a large and wide gable roofed sanctuary, the church has a pair of transepts, the east one three sided, the west one five sided. At the rear is a cross gabled hall (or a very large chancel), while at the front are a pair of towers, both with entrances in their bases. The taller is the east tower, which has an open belfry with three low arched openings on each side, each with low spindled railings. The spire consists of a low metal clad pyramidal roof with a cross at its peak. Under the eaves is a simple multi stepped cornice. Another eave of similar dimensions emanates from the bottom of the belfry. Below the belfry is, first, a square vent opening, then a diamond shaped window, then the Lancet glass transom over the doors. The shorter opposite tower is finished similarly, the major differences being a quatrefoil window in place of the diamond window and two Lancet windows in place of the belfry openings.
All windows in the sanctuary, transepts and tower sides are Lancet, the sanctuary windows filled with stained glass. The hall at the rear has tall rectangular windows. This is one of few churches of this age which still wears its original shiplap wood siding, this quite obvious from the fact that the last time the building was painted they didn't have ladders long enough to reach very far up the tower.
Riverport Methodist Church
Riverport was originally called Ritcey’s Cove, but in 1904 the name was officially changed to Riverport. The first Methodist preaching in Ritcey’s Cove/Riverport was held in a school house in 1819. In 1843, a small Methodist church was erected. A second church was dedicated on 29 December 1867. A third building was dedicated on 14 November 1897, and the second building (1867) was moved back from the roadside and became the Sunday School hall. In 1879, Ritcey’s Cove was separated from the Lunenburg circuit to become the head of a circuit including Feltzen South, Middle LaHave and Ritcey’s Cove. With the place name change from Ritcey’s Cove to Riverport, the circuit became the Riverport Circuit. A Methodist church was built in Middle LaHave in 1872 and a church was erected at Feltzen South in 1889.
In 1925, the Methodist churches in the area became part of The United Church of Canada.
From the United Church of Canada