Offertory Collections Basket from the Burns Presbyterian Church, Cambray An offertory basket, also known as a collections plate, holds a family or individuals weekly financial contribution to the church.
The first purpose built religious building in Cambray was the Union Meeting House. Built on Lot 20 in 1857 on land donated by Joseph Wilkinson, this building hosted early Salvation Army, Presbyterian, Methodist Episcopal and Anglican services. The congregation of the Presbyterian Church used this space until the early 1860s when it was decided that the Church would have their own building. On land granted to Robert Douglas and the Trustees of the Church by again Joseph Wilkinson, the Burns Presbyterian Church was opened on January 17, 1864. At capacity, hosting about 100 people, the first service was officiated by Rev. Patterson of Cambray, the Rev. John McTavish of Woodville and Rev. D. Burns of Toronto. In 1868 Rev. Binney served Cambray and in 1870 Rev. J. R. Scott served both Cambray and Islay communities.
Offertory Collections Basket from the Burns Presbyterian Church, c. 1900 CKL Artifact Collection, 2023.006.001
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Following the 1875 Union of the Canadian Presbyterian Church and the Synod of the Presbyterian Church of Canada, Rev. D. McDonald (b. 1836) was inducted in June of 1876. A year following his arrival a manse was built in Cambray, however, in 1881, Rev. MacDonald moved to Glenarm to serve Knox Presbyterian.
Canadian Presbyterian Church (C. P. C) James A. Patterson, County of Victoria Map, 1877
The former Burns Presbyterian Church, now a private residence, 2021
The Church sat empty for four years after its closure in 1914, and at the price of $655.00 was sold to the Trustees of School Section #1 Fenelon Township. Burns Presbyterian survived the Cambray fire on May 6, 1920. After being used as a community hall until 1977, the original contents of the church were sold and eventually so was the church. The building is now a private residence. It would be wonderful to be able to include memories with this church’s 50-year history. If you remember this church and have memories of it, we would be honoured if you shared them. Please email llove@kawarthalakes.ca.
Resource Fenelon Township Bicentennial Committee, A History of Fenelon Township, 1987
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Burns Presbyterian Church, 1970 Lindsay Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee (LACAC) collection.
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Commemorative Plate from the Baddow United Church Initially called Eades Settlement after an early farming family, the community of Baddow, sits in the south-west corner of the former Township of Somerville. Settled in the 1850s, Eades grew rapidly and the need for educational and worship services become evident for the families that called this area home. As one of the largest communities in Somerville, Eades comprised of two schools, S.S. #4 and S.S. #9, and two churches, Baddow Baptist and Baddow United, both built in 1874.
Baddow United Church Commemorative Plate CKL Artifact Collection, 2001.014.020
Unfortunately, trying to locate records of the United Church in Baddow is difficult as most of them were destroyed in a fire that also took the Methodist Parsonage in Coboconk around 1930. However, we are thankful that much information was recorded in Memories of Somerville Township that was compiled to celebrate Ontario’s Bicentennial and documented in Gladys Suggitt’s Roses and Thorns: A Goodly Heritage. Early United Church services were held in the home of George and Eliza Eade, one of the earliest families to settle in the area.
CKL Curatorial Collections 0001, Winter 2022
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Upon expansion of the congregation, land was purchased in 1873 from Mr. Dowson for $20.00 and a wood frame building was erected on the 3rd Concession.
The Baddow United Church James A. Patterson, County of Victoria Map, 1877 The official opening was held in October of 1874 and was received with an audience that filled the church. In 1889 the church was improved to include painted clapboard and a picket fence. In 1929 a church kitchen was built on the back, which was enlarged in 1937 and eventually insul-brick covered the clapboard. The church closed in 1989 and joined its sister church in Coboconk, which closed in 2011. With the closure of Coboconk, the congregation joined Norland and created Hope United. Some of the early ministers included, Rev. John Irland, Rev. Thomas Mills and Rev. Petley.
Thank you Hope United Church, Norland
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The Baddow United Church, 1973 Lindsay Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee (LACAC) collection.
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Organizational Button from the Palestine Community Centre Palestine School Section # 6 Eldon, now the Palestine Community Centre, was organized in 1861, and after several years of negotiations a log school house was built. It was decided that the school would be constructed on 1/4 of an acre of land donated by Archie ‘The Mason’ MacMillan, on Concession 10, Lot 15. The boundaries of this school section were laid out commencing at the boundary of Fenelon Township, west along the line between lots 11 and 12, to the centre of the 8th Concession of the Township, north along that line to the line between lots 22 and 23, east along that line to the western boundary of Fenelon Township, and south on the boundary between Fenelon and Eldon Townships. The first school was used until 1876 when the community was in need of a larger building. Controversy arose between a new site, Concession 9, Lot 18 (land owned by Daniel Brown) and the original site. The original lot, now owned by Archie’s son Colin Mason MacMillan, remained the most popular and plans were laid for a new brick school to be built. (Right) Palestine School Section #6 > CKL Municipal Archives Collection
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Palestine Community Centre Organizational Button CKL Artifact Collection, 2001.00.010
By 1877 the new white brick school, funded by Sir William Mackenzie, was in use. The teacher at this time was Mary Murchison (sister of Margaret Murchison, Colin McMillan’s wife). Mary taught at Palestine School until she was married to Malcolm M. McPhadden in 1886. In the early to mid 1900s changes came quickly for the area. The Eldon Township School Area was created in the 1940s and in 1964 the Palestine School was closed and education was moved to Woodville. Some years later the former school was reopened as the Palestine Community Centre. The Palestine Community Centre is designated under City of Kawartha Lakes Bylaw: 2019-010.
The MacMillan Farm with Schoool Section #6 James A. Patterson, County of Victoria Map, 1877
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First Prize Ribbon from the Eldon Fall Fair, 1910 Formed in 1862, the first community event of the Eldon Agricultural Society was the Annual Fall Fair located on the grounds of the old Town Hall in Woodville. Local history book, ‘Woodville: The Friendly Village’ reflects, “Not withstanding the unpropitious weather, the show was a complete success.” The showing of horses was deemed to be one of the most popular events and it was declared by the judges,
“to be superior to any they had seen…” This enthusiasm was shared in 1910 with William Alston ‘Al’ Greenaway’s horses. Al won first place in 1910 and he carried that love of horses his entire life. The Greenaway farm was located on Lot 20, Concession 13 in Mariposa and settled by Al’s grandparents William Greenaway and his wife Maria Smith, both of England, in 1851. Shortly after his win, Al and his family moved west, first to Warman, Saskatchewan and eventually just outside of Acme, Alberta, where Al worked for the National Elevator Company.
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Eldon Fall Fair First Prize Ribbon, 1910 CKL Artifact Collection, 2001.009.007 Written by his wife, Rowena ‘Reenie’ Cullis, for the Acme history book ‘Acme Memories’ she notes that while working for the grain company Al also raised purebred Percheron horses, “He took them on the show circuits in the West as well as the Royal Winter Fair… he showed horses at the first Royal in 1922, winning first prize.”
Rowena continues, “He won a good many prize show pigs and cattle also, and never missed a Royal.” Mr. Greenway devoted his life to bettering the Acme community: coaching the local hockey team to multiple championships, serving the Village of Acme firstas Councillor, then as Mayor, and through his membership at the Elks Lodge as District Deputy and Provincial President and his time spent on the local school board. Al and Reenie had one son, John Alston ‘Jack’ Greenaway, who followed his father’s fondness for animals and became a veterinarian from the Guelph Campus of Toronto University.
Thank you The Village of Acme, Alberta
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Mayor William Greenway Village of Acme Photograph Archives
Coins
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from the South Eldon Presbyterian Church Time Capsule
Coins
The Township of Eldon was surveyed between 1826 and 1829 and the first settlers, consisting mostly of immigrants from Scotland, arrived between 1828 and 1830. Neil Gregor Smith illustrates in ‘The Kirk in Eldon’ that “Many of those who originally settled here left a hard life behind them and faced a hard life here…To attempt to better their lot by facing the hardships of pioneering in a new land of which they knew little was a solution…” “It is only with difficulty that we, who see fields cleared in a few hours with a combine, can imagine the toils of those who worked under such conditions.” While the majority of first settlers were of the Presbyterian faith, it was some time before a regular church service was established. In the first few years the people had occasional services that were provided by ministers sent by the Church of Scotland, held in homes, school houses or intimate outside gatherings. John Carruthers’ ministered the early communities of Eldon and Thorah Townships frequently in 1832 and detailed his time in ‘Retrospect of Thirty-Six Years Residence in Canada West’: Wednesday, August 15th- Crossed the Talbot River, and entered into the Township of Eldon, bounded on the north by forest unsurveyed… These were new townships and had only a few settlers yet. Sabbath, 19th- Assembled the young people and children on the forenoon at the school house between Eldon and Thorah…on the afternoon delivered a lecture to a good attendance of people. St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, c. 2022
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According to research conducted by Smith the people of Eldon had to wait another 11 years before a regular minister could be called. By 1836, the community was beyond ready for a church that a 200 acre farm, Concession 4, Lot 6, was deeded from the Crown to three trustees- James MacPherson, James MacAlpine and Lachlan Cameron, to be put aside for the eventual construction of a building. This land is the present site of the South Eldon Cemetery and where the current St. Andrew’s Church is, today. Getting restless, a petition from the Presbyterians of Eldon for a regular minister was presented at the November 1843 meeting of the Toronto Presbytery and in 1844 Rev. John McMurchy was appointed as the first permanent minister of St. Andrew’s South Eldon Presbyterian Church. Now that South Eldon had a minister, they now required a permanent place of worship. Under Rev. John McMurchy, the following people were appointed to guide the construction of a new church: A. Jackson, Donald Campbell, James MacPherson, Neil McFarlene, James Ure, Neil Smith, John McIntyre, James McLaughlan, Lachlan Cameron and Alexander McAlpine, with Archibald McFadyen as treasurer.
St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church James A. Patterson, County of Victoria Map, 1877 The first church was built in 1846 on land the trustees obtained 10 years prior. According to the 1851 census it was a frame building 30’ x 40’ and capable of holding at least 100 people. It was the only public building in Eldon at this time. By 1890 the old frame church was considered to be ‘inadequate’ for current community needs and a new church was built at a cost of $6,000.00.
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Coins found in the South Eldon Church Time Capsule CKL Artifact Collection 2023. 001.001-004 According to the 150th Anniversary of South Eldon Church Committee, the cornerstone which was brought all the way from Scotland and a time capsule containing newspaper articles and coins of the time, were laid on June 20th in front of a large crowd. When the St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, South Eldon closed in 1995, the corner stone was removed and installed in the neighbouring cemetery and the contents of the time capsule were kept safe. St. Andrew's Church is now a private residence.
Thank You Mr. Reid Torrey
Resources 'The Kirk of Eldon' by Rev. Neil McGregor Smith, D.D. 'Retrospect of Thirty-Six Years Residence in Canada West' by J. Carruthers
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