LAKE OF BAYS, ON – A 130-year-old church will be torn down in the Township of Lake of Bays.
St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Grassmere is to be deconsecrated by the Archdiocese of Algoma, the northern Ontario organizational body of the Anglican Church. As a result, some group needed to take over responsibility for the building, which was built in 1891.
The Township of Lake of Bays has by law taken over the care of the cemetery that surrounds the small brick and wood constructed building. But at a recent council meeting, it was determined the building should be demolished.
The council was concerned that the building would have to be boarded up and as a result might be vandalized. A number of options were considered to help preserve the church, but none of them were sustainable.
Warden for the church, Jacquie Howell told Lake of Bays council that as much as the congregation would love to either preserve or move the church, it was just not possible.
With no septic or running water and the nature of its construction, it could not be used by any other group in place or moved without risk of it being irreparably damaged in the process.
A stained glass window along with pews, the altar and a baptismal font will be removed and re-homed in another church to be determined.
Ruby Truax runs a Facebook group called ‘If You Grew Up in Huntsville’ and reported the news to the hundreds of members. She said in a post that she hoped the stain glass windows would be preserved as promised.
“It’s bad enough that we are losing yet another of our pioneer churches, another part of our heritage,” she wrote. “We can only hope there will be more accountability when it comes to the stained glass window and the furnishings this time around.”
She was referring to a similar promise made about the pioneer era Newholm Church on Brunel Road. It’s stained glass windows went missing and were reportedly sold privately to a collector.
An online petition to try and save the church ultimately did not sway the council. Truax notes a number of people volunteered materials and services, but it was not enough to preserve the church.
“It should be noted that community members have offered to donate materials and labour to repair and upgrade the building,” wrote Truax, also noting, “and to raise funds for its continued maintenance, but these offers have been disregarded by the Township.”
The plan is to have a final service around Thanksgiving and the church will be closed forever, awaiting demolition.
