HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2015-06-10, Page 5Wednesday, June 10, 2015 • Huron Expositor 5
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St. Thomas' Anglican Church in Seaforth
0 n January 3, 1855,
Reverend William
Cresswell bap-
tised Harriet Van Egmond
on January 3, 1855. The
daughter of William and
Caroline Van Egmond,
Harriet has the distinc-
tion of becoming the first
member born into the
newly established Angli-
can parish of Seaforth
and Harpurhey. Harriet's
baptism began 160 years
of Anglican tradition in
Seaforth that thrives
today.
Until 1863, Rev. Cress-
well held services in a
livery stable, Knox Pres-
byterian Hall in Harpur-
hey, hotels and any-
where that Rev. Cresswell
could administer
communion.
Born in Manchester,
England in 1791, for rea-
sons unknown, the
elderly Rev. Cresswell
traded the gentile life of
the English parson and
scholar for the harsh
Canadian wilderness.
Rev. Cresswell, whom
historian Richmond
Parke described as `the
Grand Old Man' of St.
Thomas' Church, emi-
grated in the 1850's with
his nephews William (the
famed artist) and Edwin.
He farmed while he
served as church
minister.
Funds for a church
located in the thriving vil-
lage of Harpurhey were
raised by subscription
from as far away as
Huron History
David Yates
England. When the
Grand Trunk line ran
through Seaforth instead,
plans changed and the
church was built on land
donated by Edgar Jarvis
on its present location on
the corner of Jarvis and
John Streets.
Christened St.
Thomas' Church in June
1863, the wood frame
structure consisted of a
single centre nave. With
a Greek Revival bell
tower and pointed
Gothic windows and
door, the 'Huron Exposi-
tor' called the church a
`strange mixture' of
architectural designs.
Known as Carpenter's
Gothic, the church is a
picturesque example of
a Protestant meeting
house found in any
nineteenth century New
England town.
According to Rev. James
Broadfoot's history of St.
Thomas' Church, the
chancel was added in
1872. As the congregation
grew, the church added
two fourteen foot aprons
onto the nave's north and
south side
to accommodate more
seating. In 1885, the old
Methodist Episcopal
church was moved to the
site for use as a parish
hall.
The first of St. Thomas'
colourful and ornate
stained glass windows,
Rowcliffe said, were
installed in 1890. Parish-
ioner and local historian,
Joanne Rowcliffe, said
that later, in 1902, a Sun-
day School building was
added on the church's
west side. In 1913, a hall
connecting the buildings
gave the church its pre-
sent shape.
Unique to the Angli-
can church, funds were
raised through pew auc-
tions where families bid
on pews. Pews closest to
the front commanded
the most money. How-
ever, pews auctions
reinforced the Victorian
rigid divide between
`the classes and the
masses: Rev. Broadfoot
said visitors who unwit-
tingly occupied some-
one else's pew were
`humiliated: Envelop
giving gradually ended
the anti -democratic
pew rental system. The
last pew rent was paid
in 1913.
St. Thomas is Seaforth's
oldest church building.
Miraculously, it survived
the Great Fire of 1876 that
destroyed much of Sea-
forth's down town.
Flames swept up John
Street almost to the
letter to the editor
Readers dream stifled by wind turbines near Kingsbridge
To the Editor:
Growing up in Kings-
bridge was a dream come
true. My great grandparents
(Sullivans) were one of the
families who settled the area
in the 1830s.
Moving there at 10 years
old from Michigan, I lived
there from 1969 until 1977.
After high school at GDCI, I
left to make my way. I have Last week, while attend -
come back home to visit ing a family memorial ser -
through the years, always vice in Kincardine, I was
admiring the way of life, shocked to see the number
wishing I could have stayed, of wind turbines that now
made a living and raised a "ecopollute" the landscape
family. of farm fields up and down
My dream was to one day Hwy. 21 between Port Albert
offer to buy the house I grew and Amberley. I am shocked
up in and live the remaining that this has happened to
years out. this community seemingly
wooden church's front
door.
In March 1921, fire
almost destroyed the
church when lightning
struck the bell tower. For-
tunately, according to
Broadfoot, a service was
in progress and the fire
was quickly extinguished.
The service proceeded
uninterrupted and the
tower was soon repaired.
Although never a large
congregation, St.
Thomas counted some
of Seaforth's most
famous citizens as
parishioners. When Dr.
William Chalk, former
county warden and
church leader, died in
July 1868, the `Huron
Signal' eulogized him as
`a man much above the
common' who was
'respected by high and
low, old and young, as a
warm hearted honoura-
ble and upright man'
(Chalk Street is named
in after him). As a meas-
ure of the esteem Dr.
Chalk was held, the
paper reported that 'over
one thousand people'
followed his body from
the church to the Har-
purhey Cemetery.
Other famous Angli-
cans who belonged to St.
Thomas' are the artist
William Nichol Cresswell;
Susannah Moodie who
wrote the pioneer classics
'Life in the Clearings' and
'Roughing It in the Bush';
future British Member of
Parliament and
overnight.
Furthermore, for those
who are against nuclear or
coal fired electrical power, I
just cannot believe that this
is about an alternative solu-
tion to electrical energy.
Money seems to be behind
the real motive.
To all the environmental-
ists who support this, come
best selling novelist, Sir
Gilbert Parker; and, Cap-
tain Thomas Jackson, one
of the North West Mount
Police force's original
members.
For 16 decades, St.
Thomas' church has
been the rallying place
not just for Anglicans,
but the Seaforth commu-
nity, as services of
national celebration
such as the first Domin-
ion Day in 1867; Queen
Victoria's 1897 Diamond
Jubilee and Prayers for
Peace and Thanksgiving
in war time.
Dozens of St. Thomas'
members served King
and Country during the
Great Wars. At least, six
parishioners made the
Supreme Sacrifice during
the First World War,
including Gunner Erin
Danby Berry, the son of
former rector, Rev. John
Berry, who was posthu-
mously awarded the Mili-
tary Medal 'For Bravery in
the Field:
The most moving
church memorial is the
Archibald window dedi-
cated to Private Arnold
Richard Archibald who
was killed in action on
June 9, 1944. While
serving with the Cana-
dian Parachute Battal-
ion, Private Archibald
jumped into Normandy
behind German lines to
support the D -Day
Beach landings.
Archibald was killed in
the fighting at Les
look at this geographical
blight, the impact to the
landscape and terrain of a
once beautiful area. I am
sure it has a lasting impact
to all the farmers and resi-
dents who have sold out to
big business.
Is this really about alter-
native energy or about mak-
ing big money? To me, the
®•7 •
,`-hyo • F� ' - Ir..
Submitted
Private Archibald Memorial
Window
Mesnil Crossroads.
The window given by
Archibald's parents in
1946 is a highly symbolic
tribute to their son.
Added to the traditional
Anglican representation
of St. George slaying the
Dragon, Rowcliffe points
out the bright red poppies
and torch thrown 'from
failing hands' to future
generations which are lit-
erary allusions to John
McCrae's poem 'In Flan-
ders Field:
In 2002, St. Thomas'
Church amalgamated
with St. Paul's in Clinton
and Trinity Anglican
Church in Mitchell
(closed in 2012) to form
the parish of the Holy
Spirit. Since 2007, Rever-
end Karine Farmer has
ministered to the parish's
Anglican faithful. On
Sunday, June 7, 2015, St.
Thomas' Church will be
holding a celebration of
160 years of service in
Huron East.
ugly sight of seeing turbine
after turbine in field after
field left me numb and void
of feeling. I cried at the ruins
now created. My dream of
returning to my roots has
been forever extinguished.
Respectfully,
Peter M. Vogt
Springfield VA