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 Campbellton United Church - Campbellton, PEI Posted by:  T0SHEA
N 46° 47.514 W 064° 18.146
20T E 400598 N 5182862
On the far west coast of Prince Edward Island, this little country church stands just west of Highway 14 and a couple of hundred yards east of the shoreline.
Waymark Code: WMZC2E
Location: Prince Edward Island, Canada
Date Posted: 10/17/2018
Views: 3
This Gothic Revival church has an interesting history, having begun life as a general store. The store was built in 1861 and shortly thereafter the owner was drowned when his boat overturned on a trip to New Brunswick to buy rum for his tavern. The store was then donated to the community and renovated to become the Campbellton Presbyterian Church, opening for services in 1864. It received its bell tower and spire 38 years after opening, in 1902, at the same time that the steeply pitched roof was added. Originally sided with shingles, the church now wears wood shiplap siding. New siding was installed in 1950 and is mentioned in a record of church expenditures for that year. New windows were also added that year. Electric service to the church was installed in 1956. Again in 1977, the church was resided with cedar siding, likely that which we see today.
The tavern mentioned above was also donated to the community and became the community's school.
The community of Campbellton was founded by shipwrecked Scots who were emigrating from Campbelltown, Argyll, Scotland in 1770. At the time, Acadians had already settled the area and aided the shipwrecked Scots.
Though well maintained, the building is beginning to show its age, particularly at the foundation. The foundation, if it could be called such, consists of a few large rocks, with many gaps between, upon which the sills of the building rest. It's truly a minimalist foundation which, for whatever reason, has supported the building for 154 years, as of 2015.
Surrounding the church is the Presbyterian-United Church cemetery, possibly still in use, which is sprinkled with 60 to 70 widely spaced headstones. The Presbyterian church was established in 1841, though the Scots had lived in the area since 1770. It is known that there are at least 30 unmarked graves in the cemetery while there are another 70 or so which have headstones.
The oldest stone in the cemetery is that of William Coughlin who died on March 17, 1852, aged 25 years and 4 months. He was the son of William Coughlin. This date is important not only in establishing the date of origin for the cemetery, but also in indicating the existence of the Presbyterian Church in Campbellton at least by 1852.
From Methodists and Presbyterians in Campbellton Page 309
Even the church's bell has a story behind it. Read on.
THE BELL IN THE CAMPBELLTON UNITED CHURCH STEEPLE
In the 1930s, Keith William Pratt of Bloomfield Station, well-known local railroad historian, realized that an opportunity had arrived to obtain a bell for the Campbellton United Church steeple.
Engine No. 18 of the Sandy River and Rangely Lakes Railroad in the State of Maine, U.S.A., was about to be retired from many years of faithful service. Immediately, railroad buffs from miles around began to write or telephone the Sandy River and Rangely Lakes Railroad Company indicating their interest in purchasing various parts of the historic engine.
Keith W. Pratt wrote to friends of his who worked for the railroad, and through them he was able to reserve the brass bell for the Campbellton United Church steeple. After much preparation and effort on the part of Mr. Pratt, the bell arrived in Campbellton and was ready for installation.
On special occasions and Sundays in the summer when the Church is nearly filled with residents and visitors, Mr. Pratt makes sure that the bell rings out the message of Good News and another Worship Service in the historic Campbellton United Church is about to begin.
From Methodists and Presbyterians in Campbellton Page 263
Campbellton United Church
DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
The Campbellton United Church is a well maintained church featuring a rectangular sanctuary with four round arch windows on either side. A front centred entrance tower is the most decorative part of the building. It features faux buttresses, decorative hood mouldings over pointed arch Gothic windows, and a trefoil window above the double door. It overlooks the Northumberland Strait and has a small graveyard behind it. The registration includes the church and its lot.
HERITAGE VALUE
The church is valued for its well maintained Gothic Revival style; for its association with the history of the Presbyterian and United churches in the area; and for its contribution to its streetscape.
The Presbyterian faith came to the area in the 1840s when the church was established by James MacNeill and his cousin John Ramsay. Ramsay's parents were among the Scottish settlers who were shipwrecked off Malpeque Bay in the Annabella in late September, 1770. They had come from Campbelltown in Argyll, Scotland. Most passengers lost everything in the storm, but were helped by local Acadians.
The chief employers in the area were the shipbuilding and blacksmithing industries. The first church was a crude log structure built on Ramsay's farm about a mile from the current building. The second church began its life as a store. Around 1861, a New Brunswicker, a Mr. McLaughlin, built two structures intended to be used as a tavern and a store. When he was drowned in a boating accident on a voyage to New Brunswick to obtain rum for the tavern, his family donated both buidings to the community. The tavern became the new school, while the store became the new church. It was John Waters who had built both buildings. The church was ready for services by 1864.
The building did not have its current appearance until 1902, when it was moved fifty feet south of its original location and a new steeply pitched roof was added by John Green of Miminegash. He also added the interior ceilings. The elegant spire and entrance doors were built by John and Alfred Doyle.
It became part of the United Church of Canada in 1925 and a bell was added to the steeple in the 1930s. Today, the church is used seasonally, with services held bi-weekly from June to September and on special occasions.
CHARACTER-DEFINING ELEMENTS
- the rectangular shape of the sanctuary
- the four round arch windows on the side elevations
- the wood shingle cladding
- the steeply pitched gable roof
- the centred entrance tower with faux buttresses
- the pointed arch windows in the tower
- the pointed arch double entrance door
- the hood moulding
- the trefoil window above the door
- the location of the church near its cemetery with the Northumberland Strait behind it
From Historic Places Canada
Public/Private: Public
Tours Available?: Unknown
Year Built: 1861
Web Address: [Web Link]
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