HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1975-06-26, Page 53. Congratulations Seaforth
REPRESENTING 55 YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE •
SEAFORTH 'COMMUNITY
EMMERSON DURST 25 years ELMORE STEPHENSON 24 years
®BERT PALI,N 9 yearn
O'REILLY 1 year CARMAN ROESNER 1 year
DURST
MACHINE SHOP
main stre t Seaforth
First Presbyterian built in 186.7 •
congregation fOrk
.t.
that the Harpurhey Church, for
which they had waited long, was-
erected: There was also a
graveyard around it, where few
interments are made now, In
1853, Rev. A. MacKenzie retired,
and after being ordained in 1854,
Rev. Matthew Barr became their
minister. This church continued
to prosper 'till the middle sixties.
'As Seaforth grew, everything
changed drastically, and the'
church here did not escape:
First Presbyterian Church in the 1870's
before the new west wing was added.
(By Miss Isabelle Campbell)
In the early 1830's, two
Presbyterian groups — the.
Church of Scotland and the
United • Secession Church of
Scotland • — were actively
engaged ,in missionary work in
Upper' Canada, and both sent
men to the Huron Tract to make a
thorough canvass of the area.
The Scottish settlers who had
come to Roxboro in 1833 became
very anxious to establish a church.
for themselves. Word came to
them from a relation at Galt that
some young men had been sent
out from Scotland as missionaries
to preach in needy areas and they
might have a chance to get one of
these. Robert Scott and John
Govenlock were the ones chosen,
to go to Galt to the Toronto
Presbytery meeting. Willingly
they set out on foot, with the
petition, on the 60-mile journey
through ,the bush.
This was the first step taken to
get a Presbyterian Church in the
Seaforth district. as a result of
their efforts, Rev.'William
Proudfoot and Rev. Thomas
Christie met with the
Presbyterians in Tuckersmith and
'McKillop on their second
missiopary journey in 1835. The
gathering was held at the home of
Colonel Anthony W. G.
VanEgmond, on the Hurai Road.
After remaining four. days in the
community, arrangements were
completed for setting up a
congregation. Later in thdhear
Rev. Alexander MacKenzie
arrived and 'took over three
charges in the district
)Harpurhey, London. Road and
Goderich.
• However, it was not 'til 1847
•
0
Ontario" addition was erected at ,
the west side of ;the church, At
this time the interior was
completely changed. There have
been also innovations in the order
of the service, The, precentor and
his- tuning fork by 1895 were
replaced by the organ, organist
and choir leader, Brims were
introduced also into the service of
praise.
Twice through the .years First
Church was chosen as the
meeting place for the Synod of
Hamilton and London. First in
1894, when Rev. A. D. McDonald
was moderator and again in 1961.
The Ladies Aid, which will
celebrate its 75th Anniversary in
September, has been an
aggressive and helpful group
during those seventy-five years.
It has supported every major
financial need of the Kirk down
through the years. The major
renovation of the church
basement in the 1950's, was done
by the Men's Club, but it was the
Ladies Aid who modernized the
kitchen. As a Centennial project
the Fireside Fellowship furnished
the Centennial room and that
same year, the Friendship Circle
erected an illuminated sign on the
church property.
It was on June 11, .1967, that
the Memorial Centennial Carillon
was dedicated. At the dedication
Service a plaque was unveiled
which reads: The Carillon of Bells
is dedicated to the glory of God
and to the service of the
community in memory of Mr. and
Mrs. Merton A. Reid and hi honor
of those who loved and served in
the Fellowship of First Church
through one hundred years,
1867-1967. This was made
possible through a bequest of Mr.
Reid and a gift from the
congregation.
Before the congregation owned
a Manse, Rev.''Goldsmith lived in
two houses on High St., now
occupied by Peter Malcom and
R.S.Box. The first manse,n frame
cottage, was 'purchased from
James Darling in the, fall of 1875,
just west of the present manse.
The ,brick manse Was erected in
1879, Rev. A.D.McDonald and
family moved into it in 1880. He
remained 'till 1899. Others who
have ministered to the
congregation and lived in the
manse since Rev, McDonald
have 'been Rev. ,Prederick H.
Larldn, 1900.1928; Rev, Irving B.
Kaine, 1928-1934; Rev. Harold C.
Feast, 19351937; R-ev. Hugh
Jack, 1938-1944; Rev. Richard H,
Williams, 1944.1948; Rev, D.
Glenn Campbell, 1948-1958; Rev.
D. L. Elder, 1958-1961. Rev.
Douglas 0. Fry, ;1962-1969 and
Rev. Thomas C. Mulholland,
1969 - 1973. Rev, . Edwin G.
Nelson, who now ministers to this
congregation, was inductec) on
June 12, 1974.
The auditorium was
finished as soon as money was
available. The contractors were
William Shaw, Hugh Grant and
David Duncan. Rev. Thomas
Goldsmith was inducted in 1870
as the first permanent minister of
First Presbyterian Church, and he
remained 'till 1877. Harpurhey
united with First Church in 1879.,
Major changes have been made
in the church at different times
through the years.perhaps the
greatest of these changes was in
1904; when the large "New
about the same time the
congregation decided to stand
while they sang and to sit during
In the late 1850's and early the prayer. Previously the reverse
1860's, Presbyterians in Seaforth
attended either the Harpurhey or
Egmondville' Church. Later, Members of this congregation
either Revs • M. Barr orRev. who have become ordained
William Graham, of Egmondville, ministers of the church are Rev.
conducted services Sunday William Aitcheson, Rev.
afternoon in •, Seaforth H. Douglas Stewart, Rev. Floyd
Temperance Hall. After many McPhee and Rev. Charles
meetings and much discussion, a Falconer.
4ot was bought on Goderich St.L,
West in 1867, and by the end of
the year the walls of the church
were up and the basement
completed for the opening
ceremony on the - 16th of
December.
TO-OE HU ON EXP
congratulations
To the Town of
Seaforth
On Their Centennial
THE COUNCIL AND CITIZENS
OF THE TOWNSHIP OF HULLET
SOTOR, JUNE. 25, ins —11
'V