Sitting around the table at the Hockley residence in Nottawa, Rae thumbs through the history books, comparing them with letters about West Nottawasaga Presbyterian Church. With his wife Lorna, and Jim Campbell, the group continues to cross-reference historic dates that will be inscribed on a church memorial.
Rae and Lorna were married at West Nottawasaga Presbyterian Church on County Road 33 in 1962 and before that Lorna remembers walking to Sunday school every week from the Campbell family farm up on the 10th Line.
Being a practical person, Lorna says she understands why the church had to be demolished. Built in 1948, West Church was in disrepair and congregation members could see few options for preservation.
The Hockleys said the church probably could have been sold many times over if it weren’t for the fact that it is located in the middle of a cemetery, had no well or septic system and didn’t have room for parking.
The cemetery surrounding the church is still active and the headstones bear the family names of the area’s first settlers.
The first West Church was built in the mid 1850s but was lost to fire in 1865. The church was rebuilt with a tall steeple, which could be seen for miles around.
Lorna remembers being home on the day in 1946 when the church was struck by lightning, setting it alight. It was rebuilt once more in 1948 and weekly church services were held there until 1989, when the area churches amalgamated. In order to maintain its tax-free status, annual services were held in the church until 2019. The congregation held one last service before it was torn down last year.
The building was getting to the point that it wasn’t safe. Lorna said it was better to see it demolished than to fall further into disrepair.
After the demolition, Rae put out a call for volunteers through Emmanuel Presbyterian Church and a committee was struck with the goal of creating some kind of memorial.
“Somebody’s gotta push the pencil,” says Rae, who is chairing the committee, which held its first meeting on site last spring.
As discussions went on, he says, plans became a little more elaborate, and then a little more.
That’s when Rae asked Jim Campbell to get involved. His design firm, Rockside Campbell, has volunteered to help with concept (below).
The group is explaining the vision that has been created for the memorial, drawings and diagrams strewn across the table.
Campbell says the goal is to create something that keeps the site in use.
The plan is to rebuild the church for a fourth time, this time out of trees. A canopy of elm trees will create a Gothic arch over stone pews, and a metal plinth and pulpit set against a backdrop of the Pretty River Valley, with the hope that services could be held there in nice weather. The trees will be placed to create the effect of windows, mimicking the shape of the old church and incorporating Christian symbolism.
“I think it’s wonderful,” says Lorna of the design. “It’s important to do something while people still remember it.”
The plans will be shared with the community during an open house at Emmanuel Presbyterian Church in Nottawa, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 17.
The committee is fundraising to cover the cost of the trees and other materials. So far, $4,000 has been raised through the sale of items from the old church – pews, doors, fixtures and dishes – and through the meticulous salvaging of scrap metal during demolition.
Another $8,000 or so is needed for the project.
Donations will be accepted at the open house, by e-transfer to give@ epcn.ca, or by cheque to Emmanuel Presbyterian Church, PO Box 12, Nottawa, ON, L0M 1P0. (Please note donations are for the West Church memorial.)