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St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church
43 Chapel Hill Road, Kentville
The first church of St. Joseph was built in an area now known as Chipman's Corner between 1688 and 1689. It was located about two miles northeast of the present St. Joseph's Church in Kentville. In 1689, the territory was divided into two parishes, one being St. Charles with its centre at Grand-Pré, and the other, St. Joseph's at Riviere aux Canard. The latter included the district from the Cornwallis River to Pereaux.
With the Expulsion of the Acadians in 1755, the church building was razed to the ground and with it an attempt made to remove the church body. Irish settlers in the Kentville area gave the parish renewed strength, and in 1839, an acre of land for a church, cemetery and residence for a parish priest was deeded for the Roman Catholic Church.
Organized Catholic missionary work in Kentville did not begin until 1853. Work began on a new St. Joseph's Parish Church about 1840 and was completed on December 10, 1853. It was a plain, wooden building capable of seating about one hundred fifty people. The Parish was first known as the District of Cornwallis, Kentville and Aylesford before it became St. Joseph's.
In 1892 the church was demolished and the present church on Chapel Hill was begun by Rev. Philip M. Holden. The cornerstone was laid on October 26th. The building of the Glebe house was begun in 1906 and completed in the fall of 1907. In 1923 the interior of the church was redecorated and refurbished. The altar was erected as a memorial to the men of the parish who died in the First World War. In 1952 a side chapel was dedicated. Through the years improvements have been made and a new organ installed. In 1981 a new chapel was added to the church.
The oldest tombstone in St. Joseph's Churchyard is that of Martin Ryan, a native of County Tipperary, Ireland, who died December 16, 1838, aged sixty-two.
In the words of local historian Mabel G.Nichols; "...The church is one of the finest structures in the town and its tall symmetrical tower with its illuminated cross may be seen from a considerable distance."
"Works Cited"
Coffill-Deveau, Mary. "Parish's colorful history unfolds during its 300th birthday." The Advertiser. April 18, 1989: pg. 1C.
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St. James Anglican Church
18 Prospect Avenue, Kentville
On June 9, 1763, Rev. Joseph Bennet, a missionary of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, conducted divine service in the vincity of Horton Corner. This date may be said to mark the beginning of Anglican worship in what is now the Parish of Kentville.
Until St. James Church was built in Kentville, the people wanting to attend Anglican services drove to the Parish Church of St. John's in Wolfville. The first services of the Anglican Church in Kentville were held in the school house. The Parish Church was still St. John's in Wolfville, but the number of worshippers in Kentville was now so considerable that the need of a resident clergyman became necessary.
From 1841 Rev. John Storrs, Rector of the parishes of Horton and Cornwallis, conducted services in the school house in Kentville. So promising did the Kentville mission become that between 1843 and 1846 a St. James "Chapel of Ease" was built on the west side of what is now Aberdeen Street. St. James was consecrated on September 4, 1848. In 1854 the Rectory was built. The Rectory is located on Highland Avenue. On April 12, 1855, Rev. H. L. Yewens announced that the parishes of Cornwallis and Horton would be divided. The District of St. James, Kentville, was set off as a separate charge.
In 1882 Rev. J. O. Ruggels had the church moved from Aberdeen Street to a site further eastward (45 Church Avenue, on the site of the Salvation Army Citadel), and had the church somewhat enlarged. In April 1893, the parish of St. James, with fixed boundaries for the first time, became entirely independent from Wolfville. In 1907 the property on the corner of Main Street and Prospect Hill, was purchased for a future building lot. In October 1922, the cornerstone of the present church was laid.
In 1946 plans were made for a new hall, which was opened in 1947 although it was incomplete on the second floor. It was finished in 1954. In 1957 the people of St. James observed the 35th anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone. In 1968 the church was willed the residence of the late Miss L. Spidell. It was sold in 1969 and the proceeds were invested in a memorium to her.
St. James is one of the few churches left in the area that is constructed of stone. It is a stately old church which adds greatly to the beauty of Kentville.
"Works Cited"
Eaton, Arthur Wentworth Hamilton. The History of Kings County. Belleville, Ontario: Mika Studio, 1972.
Gibson, M. Allen. "St. James' Anglican Church, Kentville." The Chronicle- Herald. June 10, 1989: unknown page.
Nichols, Mabel G. The Devil's Half Acre - A Look at Kentville's Past. Kentville: Kentville Centennial Committee, 1986.
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The United Church of St. Paul and St. Stephen
440 Main Street, Kentville
Before 1923 the Methodists and Presbyterians had separate churches. St. Paul was the Presbyterian church and St. Stephen was the Methodist church. In 1912 the old Presbyterian church was sold and razed to make room for a Royal Bank of Canada. From that time until the new church was built, services were combined with the Methodists, using the Methodist Church on an alternating basis.
In 1914 a new stone Presbyterian Church was built on Main Street and dedicated in 1915. When the Methodists and Presbyterians joined in 1923, the new church became the place of worship, and was named the United Church of St. Paul and St. Stephen. The old Methodist church was set apart for a church hall. Later the church hall was used as a commercial enterprise and finally it was demolished.
In 1925 Rev. A. A. MacLeod became minister of the new church. Under his guidance the two bodies became more closely united in a spirit of unity and fellowship.
On January 11, 1940, there was a fire in which the auditorium was extensively damaged. For a few months services were held in the Capital Theatre while the church was substantially altered. In 1952 a church hall was under construction, and was completed in 1954. A few years later an extension was made at the back providing extra classrooms.
For the United Church of St. Paul and St. Stephen, 1975 meant not only fifty years in the United Church of Canada, but fifty-two years of a voluntary union, agree upon by the united bodies and in which harmony had prevailed.
The United Church of St. Paul and St. Stephen is another of the few stone churches left in the area. It is proof that different denominations can commune harmoniously under one roof.
"Works Cited"
Nichols, Mabel G. The Devil's Half Acre - A Look at Kentville's Past. Kentville: Kentville Centennial Committee, 1986.
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Kentville United Baptist Church
503 Main Street, Kentville
Kentville Baptist church was first organized on March 3, 1874, but a fellowship actually started some 50 years before this. Theodore Seth Harding, a Baptist Minister from Wolfville, preached at the old Court house as early as 1824. When the Church was formally organized in 1874, there were 24 charter members. The church building was completed in that same year and has had many additions and modifications over the years. A Hammond organ was installed in 1948 and a two story addition, for more Sunday School space, was added in that same year. A new church building, the present church, was completed in 1960 and the old church building was remodelled to become the Baptist Church hall. In a sealed box in the cornerstone of the present church are records and papers dating back to 1874. a new Hill, Norman and Beard pipe organ (from England), was purchased and installed in 1964 due to the generous donation of Viola Bishop, long serving organist.
The First Pastor was Rev. James Parker -17 Pastors later Rev. W. C. Machum served the longest term from 1930-1943; followed by Rev. Freeman Fenerty who also served 13 years. Both men were considered to have given exemplary leadership and growth to the church. It was during their terms that the outside fields of – Aldershot, the Altons and Steam Mill, gradually became large enough to form their own pastorates in 1961.
Following the ministry of Freeman Fenerty, George Hamilton assumed the position and served 10 years. Allan Griffin was his Associate Pastor and succeeded Hamilton in 1967. Membership at this time was Resident 586 and Non-Resident 561 for a total of 1147, an all time high. Rev. Byron Fenwick became pastor in 1978 and during his ministry the old church was demolished to make room for construction of the present CE Centre, which was completed in 1982 at a cost of $680,000. This debt was paid off in less than 7 years. In 2005-06 there were multiple enhancements to the church and CE centre including extension of the sanctuary stage, installation of a multi-media system, expansion of the church foyer, relocation of church offices and library and the installation of an elevator lift.
Senior Pastors since that time are: Rev. Judith Gates, 1989-1996; and Rev. Phillip Griffin-Allwood 1996-2000, Rev. John McNally 2001 - Present. Associate Pastors (youth) have included Rev. Ida Armstrong-Whitehouse, Rev. John Crawford, Rev. Barb Fuller, Rev. Gail Whalen-Dunn, Rev. Andrew Porter, and Lic. Colin Cook. Other associate pastors have included Rev. Karl Csazar, Rev. Michael Lipe (CE), Rev. Roger Cann (Pastoral Care), Rev. Jerry Zinck (visitation). Past music directors have included Viola Bishop, Doris Jacomb, Sandra Baltzer, Owen Stephens, Rita Atrott, Joan Redden, Larry Woodman, and Joy Cook.
The church has an appreciation for their rich history and an anticipation of an exciting future. The vibrant youth programs, excellence and strength in music, worship and preaching ministries, and a desire for outreach and growth are just some of the reasons why the pastoral leadership consider it a joy to be a part of what God is doing in the Valley and around the world!
"Works Cited"
Corbett, W.E.H. A History of the Kentville United Baptist Church, Kentville: Kentville United Baptist Church, 1974
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