's Churches

Alexandra Presbyterian Church The forerunners of this church were the Wellington Street Presbyterian Church (1845-1877) and the First Presbyterian Church (1878-1901), both located at the corner of Wellington and George Streets. In 1901 it was decided to close the First Presbyterian Church and open a new church in the East Ward of Brantford. Alexandra Presbyterian Church was built in 1901 at the corner of Peel and Colborne Streets with dedication services being held in December 1901. In 1912 it was decided that a larger church was needed and the corner stone for the new building, on an unoccupied section of the same site, was laid on September 12, 1912 (Brantford Weekly Expositor, September 19, 1912, p. 15) with the opening of the church in June 1913. The original church was used as a Sunday school. The church was named for Princess Alexandra of Denmark who later married Edward VII, not because of its proximity to Alexandra Park. This congregation refused to join the United Church of Canada in 1925. Major renovations were done in 1978 with most of the original building being demolished for a new entrance and parking lot. Centennial anniversary: Alexandra Presbyterian Church, Brantford, 1845-1945 provides more information about this church.

For more information:

. Expositor Semi-Centennial 1877-1927 (p. 78 of PDF)

Brant Avenue United Church

The school room of this church at 137 Brant Avenue was finished in December 1870 while the main part of the church was completed in 1871. Until 1873 when it became independent from the Wellington Street Church, it was known as the Dumfries Street Church. W. H. C. Kerr suggested the name be changed to Brant Avenue. The original school room was torn down and a new transept and school was built with the church being dedicated on April 11, 1875. The church's golden jubilee was celebrated in June 1921. Originally a Methodist church it became the Brant Avenue United Church in 1925 when the Presbyterian, Congregationalist, and Methodist churches joined the United Church of Canada. The rear parish hall was built in 1953. The church burned down on April 20, 1963 (Brantford Expositor, April 22, 1963, p. 11). There was over $100,000 damage and the organ valued at $40,000 was destroyed. The first service was held in the church on May 3, 1964 while it was still being rebuilt and by October 1964 the restored sanctuary was open for worship. The Brant Avenue Church celebrated its 100th anniversary in October 1971. In 1995 the congregations of Brant Avenue and Zion United Churches voted to amalgamate because of declining attendance. The amalgamated church was renamed St. Andrew's United Church with the Darling Street church across from Victoria Park in downtown Brantford being used for services. Several years later Brant Avenue Church was renovated into apartments. Centennial, Brant Avenue United Church: a collection of historical notes and pictures marking the 100th anniversary of the Church provides more information.

For more information:

. Expositor Semi-Centennial 1877-1927 (p. 112, 122 of PDF) . Warner's 1883 History (p. 169-170 of PDF)

Cainsville United Church The first church, originally a Methodist Church, was built in 1851 on a lot on the bank of the donated by Peter Cain. In 1874 it was decided that a larger church was needed and by 1875 the new church with a seating capacity of about 400 was open for worship. In 1951 a large addition was built, including the Fellowship Hall, vestry, bathrooms, choir room, and furnace room. The church celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1975. Cainsville United Church amalgamated with Marlboro United Church and was renamed Harmony United Church with the congregation using the church at 268 Marlborough Street. Theatre Brantford bought the Cainsville Church in 1998 to use as a theatre and arts centre but sold it in 2004 to Langford Church Ministries after they found the mortgage and heating costs too expensive. Langford Church Ministries planned to use it as a church again but couldn't afford to fix up the building to meet heritage standards. The book 100th Anniversary 1875-1975 provides more information about the Cainsville United Church.

Colborne Street United Church In 1885 the property on Colborne Street where the "Widows Row" charity houses were located was purchased for the church. The corner stone was laid by Rev. T. S. Linscott on October 5, 1886. The Sunday school opened on May 1, 1887 while the sanctuary was opened and dedicated in April 1888. In 1909 the church underwent a major renovation. Originally a Methodist church it became the Colborne Street United Church in 1925 when the Presbyterian, Congregationalist, and Methodist churches joined the United Church of Canada. The corner stone of the Memorial Hall, a tribute to the heroic dead of World War I and World War II, was laid on May 21, 1947 and dedicated in 1948. The church celebrated its 75th anniversary in 1962. On April 29, 1984 there was a fire, with damage of more than $100,000, in the Memorial Hall (Brantford Expositor, April 30, 1984, p. 1). In the 1990s Colborne Street United Church amalgamated with Wellington Street United Church to become Heritage United Church.

For more information:

. Expositor Semi-Centennial 1877-1927 (p. 122, 127 of PDF)

Farringdon Independent Church

This church was established in 1833 with the congregation meeting in member's homes until the first church, a frame building, was erected on Mt. Pleasant Road in 1839. It was originally known as the Inghamite Church, the only one in North America, whose members came from England. The church's name was changed to Farringdon because it was built on a section of the Farringdon farm so named by Richard Brooks, the original owner, after his native town in Berkshire, England. The church elders served as lay preachers until 1926 when the church got its first minister. The original church was demolished with a larger church being built on the same site in 1855. This church was used until 1948 when the congregation decided to build a new church which opened on September 11, 1949. Farringdon Church celebrated its 150th anniversary in 1983 (Brantford Expositor, January 15, 1983, p. 13) and its 165th anniversary in 1998 (Brantford Expositor, March 11, 1998, p. C3). The church also manages a 34-acre cemetery surrounding the building where over 10,000 people are buried. More information about this church is provided in Farringdon Church its history and background from 188 to 1951 and the church today compiled by Elsie G. Foulds and Helen M. Kippax.

For more information:

. Expositor Semi-Centennial 1877-1927 (p. 128 of PDF) . 1888 Telegram (p. 17 of PDF)

First Baptist Church The First Baptist Church was established in December 1833 with meetings being held in various buildings and houses. The first church was built on the north side of Colborne Street. In 1855 the congregation relocated to a new church on West Street. This church was destroyed by fire on January 12, 1857. Church members met at a vacant store owned by James Kerby on Colborne Street and later at the courthouse while a new church was being built on the same site. John Turner was the architect of the new building which cost $18,000 and opened at the end of December 1857. In 1887 an addition was made to the rear of the church and in 1928 a Sunday school wing was added. The ladies' parlour in the Sunday school became a chapel for evening services and small weddings in 1969. This chapel was named the Calvary Memorial Chapel, in honour of Calvary Baptist Church which merged with First Baptist Church. In May 1972 more than 1,000 pounds of plaster and lath fell from the auditorium ceiling destroying 20 pews and causing other damage (Brantford Expositor, May 13, 1972, p. 1). Once the damage was repaired the dedication of the restored sanctuary took place in May 1973. This church celebrated its 165th anniversary in 1998.

For more information:

. Expositor Semi-Centennial 1877-1927 (p. 63 of PDF) . Warner's 1883 History (p. 170 of PDF) . Reville's History Volume 2 (p. 137-139 of PDF)

Grace Anglican Church The first Grace Anglican Church, the oldest church in Brantford, was built in 1832. It was a white frame building located in the area of Albion and West Streets (originally called Cedar Street). The lots were the gifts of A. K. Smith and his sister, Mrs. Margaret Kerby. Rev. James Usher became the first rector in 1836. More space was needed for the congregation and on October 14, 1856 the corner stone of the new brick church at 15 Albion Street, designed by John Turner, was laid. The bodies of the people buried next to the church were relocated. In April 1881 the original Sunday school on Pearl Street was enlarged. A stone memorial tower was built during World War I, the gift of Col. Reuben Leonard, a former Brantford citizen. In 1918 the parish hall was built. The main body of the church, including the organ, was refurbished in the 1970s. The church celebrated its 150th anniversary in 1980 (Brantford Expositor, April 28, 1980, p. 11). In 2003 St. Stephen's Anglican Church and Grace Anglican Church became one congregation with the church on Albion Street being used. St. Stephen's Church was torn down and replaced with houses. Grace Anglican Church, Brantford, Ontario, Canada 1830-1980 provides a more detailed history of this church.

For more information:

. Expositor Semi-Centennial 1877-1927 (p. 54 of PDF) . Warner's 1883 History (p. 166-167 of PDF) . Reville's History Volume 2 (p. 134-135 of PDF) . 1888 Telegram (p. 17 of PDF)

Mohawk Chapel Mohawk Chapel, the oldest Protestant church in Ontario, was built in 1785. Originally called St. Paul's Church of the Mohawks, King Edward VII gave permission for its name to be changed to His Majesty's Chapel of the Mohawks in 1904. It is the only Royal Chapel outside of the United Kingdom. In 1823 the New England Company, the oldest Protestant missionary in the world, took charge of the Six Nations Mission. The church was renovated in 1829 with the spire being taken down and rebuilt, and the lower portion being enlarged to form an entrance porch and small vestry and belfry. Until 1833 it was the only Protestant Church on the Grand River and both whites and natives attended services there. was buried in the chapel's cemetery in 1850. In 1873 a crack was found in the bell and although a citizens' group bought the bell so that it wouldn't be sold for scrap metal, they were unable to raise enough money to strengthen the church tower sufficiently to raise the bell to hang in the tower so it has been kept at ground level next to the main entrance ever since. A heating system was installed in 1939 to help reduce decay. In 1961 Queen Elizabeth gave permission for one of the eight stained glass windows to be named the Queen's Window and bear the Queen's cipher. On July 31, 1975 a fire was set by an arsonist damaging an ancient version of the Ten Commandments in the Mohawk language, the Apostle's Creed and the Lord's Prayer (Brantford Expositor, July 31, 1975, p. 1). Another fire was set by arsonists on February 11, 1976 (Brantford Expositor, February 11, 1976, p. 1). The chapel was restored in 1984 at a cost of $285,000. There was yet another fire in August 1994 that burned the ceiling above the chapel's altar and destroyed the wood siding behind the church (Brantford Expositor, August 29, 1994, p. A3). The bell was stolen from the chapel's courtyard in December 1996 and found in a hollow near the Grand River in March of the following year (Brantford Expositor, March 6, 1997, p. A5). More renovations took place in 2007, including replacement of some of the rotten boards (Brantford Expositor, July 7, 2007, p. A3).

For more information:

. Warner's 1883 History (p. 249 of PDF) . Expositor October 1909 (p. 9 of PDF) . 1888 Telegram (p. 13 of PDF) . Brantford The Telephone City (p. 9, 10, 12, 14 of PDF) . Brant War Memorial (p. 15 of PDF)

Park Baptist Church Established in February 1870 this church was known in the early days as the Second Baptist Church and later the Tabernacle Baptist Church. The congregation rented Palmer Hall in the Kerby House and later bought Ker's Music Hall when more space was needed for the congregation. Eventually this building was sold to Joseph Stratford who converted it into an opera house. A site at the northeast corner of Darling and George Streets was bought from Rev. Dr. Cochrane for a new church and was named Park Baptist Church since it faced the Victoria Park square. The church rented the Y.M.C.A. building on the south side of Colborne Street until the new church, designed by John Turner, was ready. Major renovations took place in 1910 and again in 1970. Due to declining attendance the last service at Park Baptist Church took place in October 1992 (Brantford Expositor, October 10, 1992, p. C12). The building was bought in 1995 by businessman Neil Young. In 1999 he leased the building to a recording studio but this business relocated to Hamilton at the end of its six-month lease. Brant Community Church bought the building in 2002 for $250,000 (Brantford Expositor, June 26, 2002, p. A5).

For more information:

. Expositor Semi-Centennial 1877-1927 (p. 66 of PDF) . 1888 Telegram (p. 15 of PDF)

S. R. Drake Memorial Church The British Methodist Episcopal Church, an offshoot of the American Methodist Episcopal Church, was originally organized in 1835 with a few members who held meetings at various locations. They separated from the American church in September 1856 and changed their name to the British Methodist Episcopal Church. The first church, a frame building, was located on the north side of Dalhousie Street on a lot donated by Peter O'Banyan, a member of the congregation. In 1869 the congregation bought the Kirk of Scotland's church and moved it to Murray Street where it was used as the church until the one at 165 Murray Street was built. The church was renamed the S. R. Drake Memorial Church in 1956 after Rev. Samuel Drake who was pastor of the church from 1906 to 1909 and General Superintendent of the BME Conference for eighteen years. The church was designated as an historic site on its 130th birthday in 1986. On August 31, 2002 a fire was set in the church's basement. The church reopened in October 2003 after almost closing forever because of a shrinking congregation. The 150th anniversary of the church was celebrated in 2006.

For more information:

. Expositor Semi-Centennial 1877-1927 (p. 133 of PDF) . Warner's 1883 History (p. 170 of PDF)

St. Basil's Roman Catholic Church This church was established in 1840 with the purchase of property on Crown Street for St. Basil's Parish. A white frame building, erected in 1842, served as the church until 1866 when a larger church was needed to serve the growing congregation. In November 1866 the corner stone of the new church was laid. By October 1867 the sanctuary and the first half of the church had been built. A frame building at the corner of Crown and Palace Streets, which had been used as a separate school for twenty years, was removed to make room for the addition to the church which was completed in 1875. A bell was presented to the church in 1885 by Timothy Cokeley. In recent years the bell's electrical system was repaired so that the bell would work again (Brantford Expositor, July 8, 2005, p. A4). Mrs. E. H. McDermott donated an organ to the church in memory of her husband in 1909. St. Basil's Church celebrated its 150th anniversary in 1992 (Brantford Expositor, October 3, 1992, p. 10). Through the years: a history of St. Basil's Parish by Donald J. Boyle provides more detailed information about this church.

For more information:

. Expositor Semi-Centennial 1877-1927 (p. 86 of PDF) . 1888 Telegram (p. 15, 17 of PDF) . Warner's 1883 History (p. 172 of PDF) . Reville's History Volume 2 (p. 136-137 of PDF)

St. Jude's Anglican Church A new church was needed in the area because an increasing number of people were attending Sunday services at East Ward Public School. In May 1870 a lot on the south side of Dalhousie Street at the corner of Peel Street was bought from G. W. Burton at a cost of $940.50 while Ignatius Cockshutt loaned $2,500 to pay for the construction of the building. The first service at the new church was held in August 1871. The church was named St. Jude's because no other local church had that name at the time. The corner stone for the Sunday school was laid on July 27, 1885 by Mrs. Jasper T. Gilkison, one of the oldest members of the congregation. A new parish hall was built in 1918. Extensive renovations were done in 1931, the same year as the church's diamond jubilee. The church celebrated its 125th anniversary in 1996 (Brantford Expositor, September 21, 1996, p. B7). The thirteen murals on the church walls that tell the story of Christ's journey have been designated a National Historic Site. These murals were endowed by the Harris family in memory of their daughter Christina and were finished in 1936 (Brantford Expositor, April 28, 2007, p. D1).

For more information:

. Expositor Semi-Centennial 1877-1927 (p. 54, 62 of PDF)

Wellington Memorial United Church This church, originally known as the British Wesleyan Methodist Church, was established in 1835 at the corner of Market and Darling Streets. The frame building was destroyed by fire in June 1853 and services were held in the Brant County Court House during construction of a new white brick church on Wellington Street which opened in December 1854. In June 1925 the Wellington Street Methodist Church became the Wellington Street United Church when the Presbyterian, Congregationalist, and Methodist churches joined the United Church of Canada. The Wellington Street United Church and the Hillier Heights Church in the Henderson survey amalgamated in the early 1960s and they decided to build a new church on St. George Street near Tollgate Road. The Hilllier Heights congregation had been holding services in the James Hillier Public School. The final service at the Wellington Street United Church was held on June 21, 1964. The corner stone of the newly named Wellington Memorial United Church was laid in May 1965. Services continued to be held at the school until the new church was built. "From the beginning" 1835-1979 Wellington Memorial United Church, Brantford, Ontario and "From the end of the beginning" until now by Robert L. Deboer provide a more detailed history of this church.

For more information:

. Expositor Semi-Centennial 1877-1927 (p. 102 of PDF) . Warner's 1883 History (p. 169 of PDF) (Methodist Church)

Wesley United Church The Huron Street Mission, the forerunner of the Wesley United Church, was organized in July 1890 under the supervision of the Colborne Street Methodist Church. The corner stone for the church at 69 Superior Street, a property bought by George Wedlake in 1899, was laid on June 6, 1903. The church, which cost $10,000 to build and could seat 450 people, opened for worship on December 13, 1903. In 1907 a new parsonage was built and in 1912 the church was enlarged. In 1919 an Honour Roll was unveiled for the men who served during World War I. In 1925 it became Wesley United Church when the Presbyterian, Congregationalist, and Methodist churches joined the United Church of Canada. A new Sunday school was built in 1933. The mortgage was burned on March 4, 1946. In 1949 a memorial window was erected in memory of those who served in World War II. They celebrated 100 years in the Superior Street Church and 113 years as a congregation in 2003 (Brantford Expositor, October 25, 2003, p. C4).

For more information:

. Expositor Semi-Centennial 1877-1927 (p. 127 of PDF)

Zion United Church

Alexander MacKenzie emigrated from Scotland and started a branch of the Free Church of Scotland which met in the town hall in 1852. Building of a church on the south side of Darling Street started in 1857 but money problems delayed completion of the church until summer 1859. In June 1858 the church was named the Zion Presbyterian Church. Rev. William Cochrane, speaking at the Kerby House in December 1861, made such an impression that he was asked to become minister of the Zion Church. He was inducted on May 14, 1862 and was still minister of the church when he died on October 17, 1898. Additions to the building included a large pipe organ in 1874 and the building at the back of the church in 1883. In 1919 the church bought the Bank of British North America building on the corner of George and Darling Streets for use as a Sunday school but the demolition of the building didn't start until a few years later. In 1925 the church voted to unite with the Methodist church so the name was changed to the Zion United Church. In 1934 a fire started in the basement causing $15,000 damage and resulted in the church being closed from October 1934 to January 1935 for renovations. The members of Zion United Church voted to amalgamate with the Brant Avenue United Church congregation in 1995. The name of the church was changed to St. Andrews United Church with the congregation using the Darling Street church. Fire gutted the church in January 2006 (Brantford Expositor, January 25, 2006, p. 1) but the church is slowly being rebuilt.

For more information:

. Expositor Semi-Centennial 1877-1927 (p. 102 of PDF) . 1888 Telegram (p. 15 of PDF) . Warner's 1883 History (p. 168-169 of PDF) . Reville's History Volume 2 (p. 135-136 of PDF)