History of the Silver Spire Church

Report by Bill Stevens:

 

At our October 23, 2008 Society meeting Rev. Dr. Phil Cline spoke to an audience of 40 about the Silver Spire United Church.  In January 2008, Memorial, Welland Avenue and St. Paul Street United churches voted to amalgamate at the St. Paul Street site. The amalgamation took effect on July 1, 2008 and a new church congregation with over 700 members was established. The Welland Avenue and Memorial church buildings were vacated and sold off.

 

The history of St. Paul Street United Church begins with the first known record dated 1816 showing people being called “Methodists” meeting at the home of Rufus Wright, at the corner of Ontario and Trafalgar streets, for the worship of God and spiritual fellowship. Brothers Rufus and Gershom Wright were staunch Methodists and they played a large role in promoting the faith in St. Catharines.

 

During 1822-24, when  Rev. Ezra Adams was the Pastor, the land on St. Paul Street was purchased and a frame chapel was erected. The settlement of St. Catharines continued to grow and so did the congregation and St. Catharines became an independent circuit in 1832. Egerton Ryerson, the founder of the public school system in Ontario, became the first superintendent. The St. Catharines Circuit extended many miles in every direction, including Thorold, Beaver Dams, St. Johns, etc. In 1854, St. Catharines and its immediate vicinity were made a separate circuit, and the remainder was set aside as another circuit with two preachers, a married man and a single one, being appointed. 

The continued growth of the congregation saw the chapel expanded with an addition in 1845. Eventually a new building, the present church was built between 1860-63. The building contract was given in March 1861, to Mr. Henry Burgoyne. The new building was ready for use in 1863, and its cost was approximately $12,000. Subsequently, in 1870, a spire was added at a cost of $2500.

 

In December 1870, a meeting of the Quarterly Official Board was called to consider building a new Wesleyan Methodist Church on Welland Avenue. A resolution to that effect was unanimously carried, and a Board of Trustees for the new church was recommended.

Early in 1871 the lot for the building was selected, and the Board of Trustees chosen. In 1875 a new Wesleyan Church on Niagara Street was also built (the predecessor of Memorial Church) and in 1876 it was united to St. Paul Street Church, the connection lasting for several years.

 

On January l0th, 1876, the St. Paul Street building was nearly destroyed by fire. Thanks to the efforts of the fire brigade the flames were kept inside the walls and roof, and while the damage was great, the building was not destroyed. Restoration, however, cost a large sum, ($10,000) at a time when there was a financial depression in Canada. The Welland Avenue Church became independent in that same year, and in 1879, Niagara Street, Louth and Grantham churches were made into a separate circuit.

 

In 1890 the present Sunday School was erected, and the old church was removed to make room for the new building. Over the next century many improvements were made to the interior of the building. In 1909 an organ was installed. The building survived yet another fire in 1962 and was once again restored. The building has received a heritage designation and a brief description reads as follows:

 

“366 St. Paul Street: Built of red brick, favoured by the Methodist Church, the structure was built in 1861 having rounded windows, pinnacled and centre towered Italianate style. Although the church was seriously damaged by fire, the original structure was retained in the reconstruction of the building. The exterior of the original church remains as constructed in 1861 with the exception of change of the front entrance in 1956.”

 

More information on the Silver Spire Church can be found on the web site  http://www.silverspire.ca/

 

Some Reminiscences of Grantham Township by Bob Bell

On November 27, Bob Bell recounted some of his varied experiences as a local politician in Grantham Township from the 1950s through to the 1980s. 

Bob Bell was born in 1921 in Louth Township decended from the Loyalist families Secord and Pawling.  He worked at McKinnon Industries (now General Motors) for forty-seven years before retiring in 1986.  During the second World War, Bob served in the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Bell’s political career began in 1959 as a councillor on the Grantham Township Council and then as an alderman for the Grantham Ward on the new City of St. Catharines Council.  He remained an alderman until 1969 when regional government came to Niagara.  From 1970 to 1985, Bob was a Councillor on Regional Council.  Among his body of work includes time on the Planning and Development Committee, the Shaver Hospital Foundation, the St. Catharines General Hospital Board of Governors, Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority and currently is the Executive Director of the Hotel Dieu Shaver Health and Rehabilitation Foundation.

What Mr. Bell brought to politics was the farmer’s mentality of never promising what you cannot deliver.  He and his fellow representatives strived to get things done without wasting a vast amount of time.  They were closer to their constituents than today’s politicians. 

In 1961, Grantham and St. Catharines had grown to the point where amalgamation was necessary.  Mr. Bell was among the group responsible for naming all of the streets affected by the amalgamation.  From 7:00 to 12:00 pm, a mere five hours, names were called out, checked by the clerk and voted on for all of the streets in the newly aligned city.

In 1972, Bob became the Chairman of the Regional Planning Committee – a position he held for a number of years.  After eight years of preliminary work, the Committee met with the provincial cabinet to get the Region’s first Offical Plan approved.  Niagara thus became the first municipality with a policy plan in Ontario.

Mr. Bell was also part of the initiative in 1959 to create the Lester B. Pearson Park.  It came about when the opportunity arose to get the properly for a dollar a year.  The space was ideal for a public recreation area as it remains today.

Mr. Bell’s talk was quite informative and highlighted the accomplishments of those who dedicated their time to making Grantham Township, St. Catharines and the Region a better place to live.  He ended his talk with the words, “Grantham was a great town with great people.  The good old days were all not that bad.”

From Glass Negatives to Digital Images

During the September 25 meeting, Dennis Cahill recounted some of the highlights and insights into his 43 year career as a photographer at the St. Catharines Standard newspaper.  Cahill’s talk was coupled around the recent opening of a new exhibit at the St. Catharines Museum entitled “Niagara Through the Lens: the Shots that set The Standard”.  The Museum recently acquired over 600,000 images covering over 70 years of photographs taken by 19 photographers at the Standard.  Cahill was personally responsible for over 100,000 images himself.

Camera

Cahill reminisced about listening to the police scanner by his bedside, having one of the first car phones, and being witness to some of the most important, tragic and amazing events in the Niagara area over the last 40 years.  Being a media photographer means being on call 24 hours a day.  There is more to taking a photo than pointing and clicking.  It takes a lot of skill to position oneself properly to catch an image that tells a story.  And for every picture that ends up in print, there are dozens of other quality photos that are never seen.  Cahill gave an idea of how the newspaper industry has changed over time.  He also spoke of the changes in camera equipment over the years from massive 4×5 cameras of the 1950s and 1960s to today’s digital cameras. 

The meeting was informative, artistic and nostalgic and the record crowd of over 120 people thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Cahill’s presentation.

Fall Programs with the Historical Society

September 25 – Dennis Cahill on “From Glass Negatives to Digital Images”.  Dennis will be speaking about the changes that have taken place in photography and probably also about the very extensive collection of pictures from the past 70 years or so that were recently donated to the St. Catharines Museum by the Standard newspaper.
 
October 23 – Reverend Dr. Phil Cline on the history of St. Paul Street United Church (now the Silver Spire)
 
November 27 – Bob Bell on Reminiscences from 27 years on Grantham Council

The Historical Society of St. Catharines generally meets in the Burgoyne Room of the St. Catharines Museum at Lock 3 (the Welland Canals Centre), 1932 Welland Canals Parkway (formerly Government Road) unless otherwise posted. The facility is Wheelchair accessible. Free admission to the Society meetings.  All interested parties welcome.

Happy Birthday Mr. Merritt

It isn’t everyday that you turn 215!

The Historical Society will be celebrating William Hamilton Merritt’s birthday on Thursday, July 3.  The event will take place at 7:00 p.m. at the Merritt statue on St. Paul Street at the east end of the Burgoyne Bridge (opposite of the Cenotaph).  It will include a historical walk around Mr. Merritt’s old neighbourhood including sights of the first and second Welland Canals. 

All are welcome to attend.

W.B. Allan – a St. Catharines’ Architect

On Thursday, May 22, Pat Menon reintroduced the Historical Society of St. Catharines to the life and work of former local architect William Bryson Allan.  Allan (1838 – 1911) was born in Scotland and immigrated to Canada in the 1850s.  After bouncing around Quebec and Ontario for a few years, he settled in St. Catharines in 1861 and started a furniture business with his family while also dabbling in undertaking, sewing machine sales and photography.  But it was apparent that Allan had a talent for architectural design.

Allan’s first known design was the Riordan Mill in 1867.  In 1870, Allan married Isabella Dougan who was the daughter of a successful local builder.  Now with contractors, furniture makers and an architect in the family, the Allan’s and Dougan’s formed a formitable business team.  From there he did not look back.  Chronologically, some of Allan’s designs include: St. Paul’s Ward School (1871), Central School on Court Street (1872), First Presbyterian Church (1872), the expansion of the family furniture factory (1875), St. James Ward School (1876),  and St. Andrew’s Ward School (1883).  Other designs included the Protestant Orphans’ Home, Grantham Academy / St. Catharines Collegiate, St. Thomas Ward School, Merritton Cotton Mill, the R.H. Smith Company (saw works), the Oddfellows Hall, and the Merritton Town Hall.  From the late 1860s to 1900, Allan was quite prolific in St. Catharines. 

Allan’s last design was Memorial Hall in Niagara-on-the-Lake which opened in 1907.  Memorial Hall was the first building in Ontario designed specifically to be a historical museum.  The museum celebrated its 100th anniversary just last summer. 

While other local architects such as Tully, Latshaw, Dorr, Wiley and Badgley often receive more praise for establishing the architectural character of St. Catharines, it is important to remember the other architects like William Allan who added significant and memorable works of brick and mortar within our city.

April 24 Meeting – Some Vanished Villages of Niagara –

Generations ago, there were villages throughout Niagara that held much promise for the future.  They had general stores, schools, churches, mills and more.  Fast forward 100 years and some of these villages are not even on a modern day map.  Perhaps merely a footnote in a history book.  What happened to these villages?  Why did they disappear?  And what evidence is left of their existence?

Join the St. Catharines Historical Society on April 24 at 7:30 in the St. Catharines Museum to hear Society President John Burtniak reveal the fate of these villages of yesteryear.

Historical Documentary Preview – “Echo of the Future: A Tale of Sunnyvale”

On Thursday, June 5 at 7:30 p.m. in the Mills Room at the St. Catharines Central Public Library, the Historical Society and the Library will be sponsoring the preview of the DVD “Echo of the Future: A Tale of Sunnyvale” .  This 47 minute film tells the story of Sunnyvale (Silicon Valley), California’s early radio manufacturing industry and the Bessey family.  The Besseys lived in St. Catharines before moving out to California and making it big and our city is part of the film.  Please join us.

For more information on the film, visit the film’s blog at http://www.echoofthefuture.com/.