Welcome to Wayback Wednesday sponsored by Cavalcade Color Lab! Every week, we’ll be sharing a vintage photo and asking our readers to chime in with anything you can recall about the photo, other related memories, or even a funny caption. Have some vintage photos of your own? Send them to [email protected] and we may share them with our readers! Scroll waaaaay down to see last week’s photo.
This week’s image, courtesy of Muskoka Digital Archives, is accompanied by an article submitted by Irene Turner, a member of the congregation at St. Mary’s Anglican Church in Aspdin. It’s the oldest stone church in Muskoka and it has been identified as a candidate for closure.
Wayback Wednesday is sponsored by Cavalcade Color Lab
St. Mary’s, Aspdin was the first stone church erected in Muskoka. It is on a hill nestled between Muskoka Road 3 and Bottings Road. If you have watched the movie The Incredible Journey, you may have seen the church as well as the top of Clifton Hall as the cameras panned up and over the hill and down through the village.
In 1884, a mysterious message arrived from England. An unknown benefactor, a woman, was willing to donate 600 pound sterling (an enormous sum in 1884) toward the construction of a stone church in the community. Some conditions applied – some were a bit “high church” but all contributed to the notion of maintaining “a proper English church” in the colonies. The unknown benefactor gave an additional 100 pound sterling in 1887 to pay for a tower and spire. An article printed in the Aspdin Church News, November 1893, reports that the unidentified lady came to a inexplicable end. “Not long after making the donation, while on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, she was camping beside the Sea of Galilee. One evening she went out for a stroll, and was never seen or heard of again.”
Over the years, many other donations were made to the church – the stone font, the alabaster cross, the brass candlesticks, pulpit, lectern to name a few. The ornate carvings of arches and fixtures are amazing considering the simplistic tools of the time.
The foundation stone of St. Mary’s Anglican Church, Aspdin, was laid on September 30, 1885. After blessings were made, each child came forward with a stone they had chosen from home and placed it in the wall. The founders also placed a glass bottle in the wall which remains to this day, containing the names of the bishop the priest, the church wardens and every communicant connected with the church. Included also were copies of various newspapers. Exactly where this bottle is located is unknown.
The opening service was held on August 15, 1886 with 74 in attendance. Two families walked over seven miles through the bush to have their little ones baptised at that service. Lunch was provided in the Clifton Hall for all. Then the church was again filled for evensong.
In pioneer days and well into the 20th century, the church was heated by a barrel stove which was located in the centre of the nave. The pipes went up vertically and then angled off toward the chimney at the back of the church. Robert Boyes, as a young boy, recalls attending the funeral of a local man in the winter. The coffin was carried from his home and placed near the stove. During the service, there was a loud crack and the flowers atop the casket slid off. Needless to say, the young boy was somewhat frightened.
Unknown to most and just a memory to others is Clifton Hall, which was a short distance to the west of the church. It was a frame building that was torn down in the late 1950s. Clifton Hall served as a meeting place, a Sunday School, hosted a large choir, boasted a stage, a piano and a kitchen. It was used for a dance hall, wrestling, boxing, gymnastics, and also housed a printer (the Adams Washington Press which was later taken to Bracebridge). Many of the activities were run by members of the SSJE (Society of Saint John the Evangelist). It was a place for people to gather and socialize. Now there is just a dip in the landscape to mark the spot.
Across the road, a small parcel of land was purchased to accommodate a driving shed. It is now used for parking. The original bell tower built in 1894 was torn down in 1911 and replaced with a much shorter version.
Down the hill, on the right across from the cemetery, there was a parsonage which is now a private residence. Rev. Laurence Sinclair was one of the priests who lived there. Whilst he lived there, a bolt of lightning struck the rectory, travelled down the chimney scattering bricks and burning out the telephone. Otherwise, the home and family escaped unscathed. Records show that Rev. Sinclair moved to Huntsville but still kept the task of ministering to outlying villages – Ilfracombe, Aspdin, Grassmere. He walked to each of these places irrespective of weather conditions.
From 1928 until the 1970s, the Cowley Fathers of the Society of Saint John the Evangelist ministered to the congregation. They lived in Bracebridge – 25 miles distant. The Cowley Fathers rode bicycles or horses, walked or found other means of transportation to reach these small churches. They would stay at different homes and would pitch in and help with any necessary chores, be it chopping wood, cooking, darning, or washing dishes.
Special mention is made of the Cowley Fathers because for nearly 40 years they were active in the Aspdin area and at St. Mary’s. They knew the families who lived in the remote areas. They knew how many children were in the family, who was ill, who was in need of cheer. It didn’t matter the denomination, they cared. At the height of the depression in the Muskoka District, the Cowley Fathers were there for the people. They themselves lived a life of poverty just like the people they visited. They were trusted. Much of their social work was called “Sunshine”. They gathered foodstuffs, clothing and household items from urban parishes. They then had “Sunshine Sales”. A small price was put on the item and people would buy the item without feeling it was charity. In turn, the money gathered was used to buy glasses for a child, teeth for an old lady, new shingles for a church. In 1935, Cowley records show that the Fathers and brothers had gathered over 6000 presents to be distributed. Parcels had come from all places. The Fathers sorted the articles and prepared packages for the many people in their Missions. Somehow, they managed to deliver them. To this day, the Cowley Fathers hold a special place in the hearts of the people in the area who still remember them.
Many in the Aspdin area remember Father Frith. He would ride his bicycle up from Bracebridge. He wore long knee socks (usually darned) and a long black robe that was usually patched. How he kept his robe from catching in the spokes was a mystery. He was known to carry a small oil can with him on his journeys and always stopped to oil any squeaky gates he passed through. In later years, Father Frith drove a jeep. At that time, the swamps had corduroy logs to keep vehicles from sinking in the mud. It was quite a wild ride through those swamps as Father Frith pressed the pedal to the metal. Father Frith was a very talented person. He could fix almost anything. At the SSJE house in Bracebridge, he was in charge of the printing and published The Little Paper for many years.
When the SSJE were no longer able to come to St. Mary’s, other clergy took up the challenge, Canon Sutherland being one. Even though he had many other responsibilities as priest at All Saints’ and some of the rural churches, he found time to come to Aspdin.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the church closed its doors. The floor had become unsafe. The congregation was small. However in 1996, rumours spread that the church would be sold or torn down. There was a response from those living in the community who decided to restore the church.
The whole floor in the nave was removed, new footings were poured, new donated joists were installed, sub-floor replaced. Plastic covered the ground underneath and vent pipes for air circulation were installed (all volunteer work and supplies donated). The following year, hardwood flooring was installed and finished by volunteers. Slowly but surely more tasks were completed.
A generator was purchased and brought each Sunday so that there could be lights for the services.
The carpet around the altar was replaced and the painted floor in front was sanded down and finished.
Money was raised to pay a contract company to replace the roof. Donations came in from places far and wide (2001).
The alabaster cross which was removed when the church wasn’t in use was replaced with another to fit the base which had been left behind. The Bible (1843) was taken to St. Catherines to be rebound.
The hydro was re-instated (2006). A keyboard was purchased.
The stained glass windows were removed as dollars allowed and refurbished by Charles Knapp. Lexan was put on all windows for protection (2010-2012).
Three walls in the nave were re-plastered and painted by a volunteer (2011).
Fire extinguishers were purchased and then purchased a second time when they were stolen (2014 & 2015).
As we approach the 131st Anniversary of this old stone church , its future is uncertain. The Diocese of Algoma has named it as one of the churches to be closed.
A quote from one of our dedicated parishioners who has attended this church for over 70 years:
“When you enter this beautiful old church, it is not just the inner beauty that leaves you in awe. It is the feeling of contentment and peace that overcomes you. When we think of the dedication and all of the hardships that those before us have endured, we leave feeling we are more able to cope with the world around us. It stands stately on the top of the hill, a symbol of hope for the future and a symbol of the faith of our ancestors.”
We are hoping to host an “open door” this summer to give people an opportunity to visit this old church and marvel at the craftsman ship of our ancestors. Besides the traditional services, members of the community are actively exploring other ideas that might appeal to the younger generation so that they too can experience the aura of this old church. The wish of the congregation is that when/if the church closes it be through attrition and that the congregation be given some input into that decision.
One of our greatest fears is that this historic old church will meet the same fate as that of Holy Trinity, Newholme. Once that happens, it is gone forever.
Open to suggestions.
