Sitting high on a hill on the outskirts of St. Peter’s Bay, St. Peter’s Church is one of the first things one sees on approaching the community from the west. Set back from Highway 313 northwest of St. Peter’s Bay, the bright white building stands beside its large cemetery, with many white marble headstones from the nineteenth century.
Find A Grave lists only 108 interments, though there are several times that many. The oldest listed is that of Sarah McKinnon McIntyre, who was born in 1773 and died in 1842. Still in use, the cemetery contains some very recent burials.
The history of St. Peter's goes back to 1830, with the construction of a church building beginning in that year and completion taking place in 1834. A larger brick church was constructed in the early 1880s, completed in 1886. Still unfinished inside, it opened for services in 1881.
On October 15, 1926 the bell tower was the recipient of a lightning strike which nearly burned the church down. The church was rebuilt, retaining the brick walls, reopening on July 1, 1928. It came to pass that the brick had been damaged to a greater extent than was first believed and the brick facade was replaced with wood framing in 1959.
At the rear of the building, the brick walls of the rounded chancel remain, which is logical as it was the furthest from the 1926 fire. As well, the rubblestone foundation is still visible under the chancel and the rearmost part of the nave.
St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church overlooks St. Peter’s Bay. The construction for this church began in 1830 and was completed by 1834. The site for this magnificent church was chosen by Bishop McEachern because he wanted it to overlook the beautiful St. Peter’s Bay.
In the early 1880s a bigger and more modern church was built to replace the original church. The construction for this church began in 1881 and was not completed until 1886. The new church was constructed with brick. Although the construction was not completed until 1886, the church itself was opened it 1881 with the interior not finished. This shows the dedication that the early people of St. Peter’s Bay has to their church and their religion.
On October 15, 1926 the tower of the St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church was struck by lightning and caught on fire. This resulted in a major fire and people came from the Bay and Greenwich to help to put the fire out. At this point in history there was no such thing as a fire department so the people came from their houses with buckets of water to try and put the fire out. With the help of the local people the fire was eventually extinguished. Many of the interior furnishings were saved.
After the fire, the church was rebuilt. It took two years to rebuild the new church and it was opened on July 1, 1928. The brick exterior was salvaged at the time of the rebuild but due to damages resulting from the fire, the brick exterior was replaced by wood in 1959.
From The Community of St. Peter’s Bay