St. Mary’s Pastoral Charge acknowledges that we live, work, and worship on lands that are the unceded territories of the Mi’kmaq. May we live with respect on this land, and live in peace and friendship with its people.
European Settlement
St. Mary’s was settled by Europeans in 1801, when second-generation New England planters from Truro, and more recent Scots emigrants from Pictou, moved inland to harvest vast tracts of timber and to cultivate fertile, intervale land. Farmsteads were situated along the east and west branches of the St. Mary’s River, and at the forks. The main settlement, called Sherbrooke, was established near the mouth of the river. Settlers lumbered, grew oats, barley, and wheat, raised cattle and sheep, and built sawmills and gristmills. Sherbrooke was the center of a flourishing local timber trade, exporting masts, laths, and spars. Ships were also built. By the 1860s, Sherbrooke had two churches (Presbyterian and Anglican), a courthouse, jail, school, a diversity of merchant enterprises, and a number of fine family homes. Gold was discovered in the region in 1861, which brought an influx of investment and sparked a population boom that created a ready local market for the many farmers situated along the St. Mary’s River valley.
Early Travelling Clergymen
Most early settlers were of the Presbyterian faith, but given the sparsity of the population, isolation from urban centres, and lack of roads during the first few decades of European settlement, the people were without a substantial church building or a permanent clergyman. The great Nova Scotian Presbyterian pioneer, Rev. James MacGregor, was the first minister to preach in St. Mary’s around 1810. He came on horseback to what was called the “Upper Crossroads” during one of his missionary tours through Eastern Nova Scotia, following the river upstream from Sherbrooke. In 1818, Rev. Alexander Lewis also came to preach in the area, and the Anglican catechist, Joseph Alexander (who travelled throughout St. Mary’s and Eastern Shore communities in the 1840s and recorded his observations in a diary) lead services in the area in April of 1845.
The Rev. John Campbell
The Rev. John Campbell was ordained in Glenelg on November 1st 1838, becoming the first permanent clergyman in the region. Campbell was born at Scotch Hill, Pictou County in 1809. The son of illiterate Gaelic-speaking Scots emigrants from the island of Eig, he was educated in the tradition of the great Presbyterian intellectual, educator, and reformer, Rev. Dr. Thomas McCulloch. Campbell remains a legendary figure and pioneer of the early Presbyterian Church in eastern Nova Scotia. In his book Sketch of the Life and Labours of the Rev. John Campbell, of St. Marys, N.S. (1899), Rev. George Patterson relates some of the early obstacles the recently ordained young minister faced when he first arrived in St. Mary’s:
“For some time all his travelling between the different sections of his congregation, as well as in pastoral work, was on horseback, so that he was for days in the saddle. He was six or seven years a minister before he had a carriage, partly from want of means to get one, and partly from the state of tho [sic] roads, which rendered riding on horseback the quickest, safest and most convenient mode of travel. Even after he did get a carriage most of his travelling continued to be by the same mode” (10).
Patterson goes on to describe how over time, under Rev. Campbell’s guidance, the region improved in “liberality, intelligence, morality and religion” (25). The clergyman was especially noted for encouraging a strict adherence to temperance and was also involved in the promotion of agricultural improvement in the region, in addition to his pastoral work.
While congregations in the communities of Sherbrooke, Glenelg, and Caledonia shared Rev. Campbell’s ministry, by 1861, with the discovery of gold and a growing population, Sherbrooke became a separate charge and retained Rev. Campbell exclusively as their minister. The communities of Glenelg and Caledonia thus called Rev. Charles Pitblado in 1865.
East River St. Mary’s Joins the Charge
Early church records indicate that there was a separate congregation in East River St. Mary’s that shared ministry with the more distant communities of Barney’s River and Lochaber. Rev. D. McGillvary served from 1833-1835, Rev. Donald McConochy (sometimes spelled McConnochie) from 1835-1839, Rev. Hugh MacKenzie from 1842-1845 and Rev. Alex Campbell from 1846-1863. East River St. Mary’s eventually joined with Glenelg and Caledonia, where Rev. Pitblado remained as minister until 1872. The East River St. Mary’s Presbyterian congregation built Zion church in 1875, and it is still in active use today as part of Blue Mountain Pastoral Charge of the Presbyterian Church of Canada.
A New Church is Built in Glenelg
Under the ministry of Rev. Robert Cumming (1875-1881) a new church was built for the Glenelg congregation and dedicated on February 5, 1878. The church, built in the vernacular Gothic style, is now a registered municipal heritage property. Although the structure has undergone significant structural change––particularly the removal of the spire––it still retains aspects of its original character defining features such as transom window, exterior wood clapboard, Classical Revival corner and skirt boards, fenestration pattern, sanctuary floorplan, pews and flooring.
The construction of the new church, on the same site as the former, was an important endeavour for the local community, who sought to create a “revival” in faith through the construction of a new, larger building. According to one columnist in the January 17, 1878 issue of the Eastern Chronicle:
“the good people of Glenelg have about completed one of the handsomest churches in the eastern end of this province.”
Church members, especially women, fund-raised tirelessly to finance the construction of the building. According to the Eastern Chronicle, debt was still owing on the church in July of 1884, and a strawberry festival fundraiser was held on the 15th in a tent on the church grounds.
In 1903, Caledonia became a separate congregation from Glenelg.
The Emergence of Methodism in the Region
Methodism was never popular in the St. Mary’s River valley, but congregations were active in wider Guysborough County. Around 1808 the pioneer preacher James Mann formed a Methodist religious class in the town of Guysborough. William and Annie McDiarmid, who returned to the fishing village of Liscomb from The United States, began a Methodist congregation there in 1892. Their first clergyman, Rev. Clayton A. Munro, served the area from 1894 to 1896, when Rev. J. A. Hart took over the pastorate. The Liscomb Methodist church was dedicated on January 30, 1898 under Rev. Hart’s ministry. The Wesleyan reported in February of 1898 that the church was built from a “neat modern plan from Rhodes and Curry,” an Amherst based firm, and was constructed by John Mills of Port Hawkesbury. The church was 40′ x 33′, with a 20′ x 12′ classroom on one side, and could accommodate up to 300 people. This structure, however, was demolished in 1945, and a new, smaller church, named St. John’s United Church, was dedicated on September 29, 1946.
Other Clergy
Rev. John Ferry served St. Mary’s Pastoral Charge from 1884-1887, Rev. Andrew Boyd from 1889-1892, Rev. John MacFarlane from 1893-1901, and Rev. Alexander Stirling from 1901-1904. In 1906, Rev. William MacDonald was called to the charge, and was succeeded in 1913 by Rev. Joseph Howe Kirk, who lead many congregants into church union.
Church Union
On June 10, 1925 many Congregationalist, Methodist, and Presbyterian Churches in Canada merged together to become The United Church of Canada. A deeply divisive experience for faith communities across the country, individual congregations voted whether to join the union or not. In St. Mary’s, the part of the congregation which had the highest number of votes retained the existing church building while the dissenting members of the congregation would build a new church. The Presbyterians in Sherbrooke kept their church, St. James, and those who voted to become United built the present church of St. John’s, dedicated on November 13, 1927. In East River St. Mary’s, the minority who voted to become United met in the Lodge building until they built the present church of Bethany in 1956. In Liscomb, the Methodist Church voted to become United, and thus retained the building. In Caledonia, the new United congregation held services in the schoolhouse. In Glenelg, the majority voted to become United, and those wishing to remain Presbyterian built a new church right next door to the older church structure.
Following church union, St. Mary’s Pastoral Charge consisted of the following points: East River St. Mary’s, Glenelg, and Caledonia. A manse, still in use today, was built in Aspen in 1936.
Both St. John’s in Sherbrooke and St. John’s in Liscomb formed a separate charge under the ministries of Rev. Donald Fraser, Rev. J. A. MacKenzie, and Rev. M. Linton until 1927, and then Rev. H. Hamilton until 1930. Rev. A. H. Dyment served from 1930 until 1933, Rev. J. G. Russell from 1933-1938, Rev. William Roger from 1938-1942, Rev. Alexander Firth from 1942-1943, and Rev. Alexander W. Robertson from 1943-1948. Sherbrooke and Liscomb then joined the St. Mary’s Pastoral Charge.
The United Church congregations in the communities of Loch Katrine, Lochaber, and Country Harbour also shared the minister of St. Mary’s Pastoral Charge for a brief period between 1973 and 1978, under the name Loch Haven Pastoral Charge.
Change and The Future
Due to population decline, the difficult decision was made to close the Caledonia congregation in 1969 and St. John’s in Liscomb on October 16, 2000. The St. John’s church building was subsequently demolished and a memorial stone marks the former site. There was never a United Church building in Caledonia.
Today, St. Mary’s Pastoral Charge includes St. John’s in Sherbrooke, Kirk Memorial in Glenelg, and Bethany in East River St. Mary’s. The charge covers a radius of about thirty miles. Much like his predecessors, the current minister, Rev. Derek Elsworth, is a seasoned traveller who clocks many miles on his odometer every Sunday as he leads a worship service for each congregation. Rev. Elsworth is grateful, however, that he does not have to travel between congregations on horseback!
Although population decline and increased secularization have brought pressing challenges to churches across all of rural Canada, St. Mary’s Pastoral Charge works to foster interdenominational outreach with neighbouring congregations and seeks to remain a vital resource both in the wider community and in the lives of congregants.
We are hopeful for the future of our charge, and always welcome new attendees.
A list of ministers who have served the St. Mary’s Pastoral Charge as The United Church of Canada since 1925:
Rev. Joseph Howe Kirk 1913-1935
Rev. Thomas Humphrey 1935-1938
Rev. Thomas N. Mitchell 1938-1941
Rev. Warren Dickson 1941-1944
Rev. J. F. Rowley 1944-1946
Rev. James W. Howe 1946-1949
Rev. Phillips B. Chisholm 1949-1951
Rev. Ralph Webber 1951-1955
Rev. Lloyd Salsman 1955-1958
Rev. Jack D. Hicks 1958-1962
Rev. Robert Stevens 1962-1966
Rev. John Powell 1966-1969
Rev. Waldo Grandy 1969-1975
Rev. Gordon Fraser 1975-1977
Rev. Harry Disher 1977-1981
Rev. Keith Lewis 1981-1987
Rev. Stephen Mills 1987-1990
Rev. George Micklethwaite 1990-1996
Rev. Ross Hamilton 1996-1999
Rev. James Forbes 1999-2001
Rev. Cornelia van Bentum 2001-2005
Annika Sangster (Diaconal) 2005-2006
Rev. Derek G. Elsworth 2006-present
A Note to Researchers and Genealogists:
~ St. Mary’s Pastoral Charge historic church records, including minutes of session and baptismal, wedding, and death registries, are currently housed in the Nova Scotia Archives. Please note that you must seek written permission from the Charge’s minister to access the materials. St. Mary’s Genealogical Research Centre at Sherbrooke Village also offers many useful resources on the history of our local area. ~
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We welcome submissions of historic images for the website (these could include images of church interiors and exteriors, church dedications and services, church picnics and events, clergy and so on). Please contact meghann.jack@gmail.com if you have images you would like included on our site.
St. Mary's Pastoral Charge 