Princetown United Church - Malpeque, PEI
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member T0SHEA
N 46° 31.749 W 063° 41.246
20T E 447280 N 5153071
One will find that all pre 1925 United Churches were built by another denomination, usually Presbyterian or Methodist. In this case it was built by the Presbyterians of the Princetown-Malpeque area, becoming a United Church in June of 1925.
Waymark Code: WMPN76
Location: Prince Edward Island, Canada
Date Posted: 09/25/2015
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member lumbricus
Views: 4
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Constructed in 1869-70, this $1800 Gothic Revival church replaced a wood frame church which was built on the site, opening in September of 1813, in turn replacing a log structure built circa 1794 north of Malpeque and moved to this site in 1810. The site of the three churches was chosen more by mother nature than by well intentioned men. It seems that, when the log building was being moved, when the crew stopped for the night, the weather deteriorated and made travelling almost impossible. After much discussion, everyone agreed not to travel any farther and decided to let the little church remain in the location where they stopped, which is the present location of the church.

In 1765 the area of Princetown (named for the future George IV) was designated the nominal capital of Prince County, a designation that was not to come to pass. The area simply failed to grow as expected and remained nothing more than small villages, which they remain today.

Given the church's status as a primary meeting place in Malpeque, the village's cenotaph was erected June 29, 1921 on the grounds. Originally erected in memory of those who lost their lives in World War I, more plaques were added later to remember those lost in World War II.

Some of the church's many interesting features include the sculpted fascia boards, Gothic lancet windows on the façade with matching windows down each side, 111 foot tall steeple with weather vane atop and unusual large round windows on each side of the tower.

While the little church was being established, plans were afoot to build a new and larger church. In 1810, a lot of land was granted to Princetown Royality for the purpose of building a meeting house for the inhabitants of Princetown Royality to build a meeting house on the Presbyterian Foundation. In September, 1813, the building was ready to use.

The second church was on the same site as the church building today, except the entrance was facing west, not south. The exterior was similar to today's church, the interior was quite different. The exterior had a spire, bell tower and weather vane. The bell in the tower was and still is of unknown origin.

Again in 1869, the congregation and the residents decided a larger church was a necessity for the residents. The official opening was October 21, 1870. Many clergy helped with the festivities. A newspaper reported the new church was tastefully designed and neatly finished, 75 ft. long, 50 ft. wide, and would seat 800 people, with windows of gothic style. Many changes have taken place since then. It will not seat 800 people now...

...Due to the ravages of time and elements over the years, the spire was removed to the top of the bell tower because the base of the structure had deteriorated, and a flat roof was placed over the bell tower. By doing this, the result was to detract greatly from the beauty of the building.

In 1967, changes were made for more Sunday School rooms, and many other renovations were carried out. In 1983, a spire fund was established, and immediately a big project began and a new spire was assembled. When assembled it was hoisted into place by a giant crane.
From Malpeque Bay History
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Princetown United Church
DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
The Princetown United Church is a white Gothic Revival style structure located in the Village of Malpeque, PEI. The accompanying grounds are spacious and tree lined. A memorial statue to the casualties of the wars is located near the church. The designation includes the footprint of the building.

HERITAGE VALUE
The Princetown United Church was designated because of its well preserved Gothic Revival architectural elements and because of its association with the early history of Presbyterianism in PEI. The area of Princetown (named for the future George IV) was originally assigned to be the capital of Prince County by Samuel Holland in his 1765 map of St. John's Island (PEI). However, the townsite never developed and the former Mi'kmaq and Acadian name of Malpeque became more common.

From this point onward, Princetown/Malpeque became the focal point for visiting missionaries to the area. On June 30, 1770, the Rev. William Drummond became the first Presbyterian missionary to hold services in the community. In 1791, the Rev. James MacGregor of Pictou, NS spent three weeks in the area ministering to the people. By 1794, a crude log church had been built about three quarters of a mile NW of the location of the present church.

A permanent congregation with a resident minister was established in 1800 by the Rev. John Urquhart who was also from the Pictou Presbytery. In 1808, the Princetown congregation was served by the Rev. John Keir who had arrived from Scotland. During his term, the log church was hauled to the present site and refurbished.

By 1869-70, this primitive structure was replaced by the present Gothic Revival building at a cost of $1800. The church became affiliated with the United Church of Canada in 1925.

CHARACTER-DEFINING ELEMENTS
The heritage value of the Princetown United Church is exemplified in its Gothic Revival elements which include:
- the overall massing of the building with its corner finials
- the gabled roof with sculpted bargeboards
- the lancet windows on the facade, tower, and side elevations
- the refurbished 111 foot high steeple with weather vane which was replaced in 1984 after being removed in 1959
- the location of the church near a tree lined cemetery and community war memorial
From Historic Places Canada
Address of Tower:
18 Malpeque Road
Malpeque, PEI Canada
C0B 1M0

Still Operational: yes

Number of bells in tower?: 1

Relevant website?: [Web Link]

Rate tower:

Tours or visits allowed in tower?: Unknown
Visit Instructions:
Please post an original picture of the tower taken while you were there. Please also record how you came to be at this tower and any other interesting information you learned about it while there.
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