Southwold 175 - April

Southwold Churches - A Spiritual Foundation

We acknowledge that the first human footprints on this land were the Indigenous Peoples who lived, hunted and farmed the lands that are now known as Southwold Township and that they had their own spiritual practices and way of life.  This article will focus on the religious practices of the earliest settlers to arrive in Southwold Township, their descendants and later times of immigration.

Like much of the history of the settlers in Southwold Township, the history of places of worship was by oral tradition and often recorded years afterwards.  These settlers were largely, but not exclusively, from the Church of England (Anglican), Church of Scotland (Presbyterian), Baptist, Methodist Church (England) and the Roman Catholic Church.  Many of these settlers arrived before the incorporation of Southwold as a township in 1850.  Faith and religious services were a vital part of settlers’ lives.

When settlers first arrived, there were no church buildings, with worship services being held in homes, schools and in at least one location in a tavern at Burwell’s Corners.  The area was served by saddleback preachers or circuit riders who travelled long distances to lead worship in what became Elgin and Middlesex County.  One story tells how a saddleback preacher’s horse became stuck in deep mud in the pine forest near Paynes Mills.  Once freed, the preacher and horse made their way to a small shanty where the preacher was given food and the settler brought the horse into the shanty and tied it to their bed!

As the area developed, churches like schools were built in almost every settlement/village and crossroads.  Early church buildings were log cabins, often replaced by frame and then brick structures.  Parishioners had to be able to walk or hitch up their horse and buggy to attend worship.  During the horse and buggy era many churches had drive sheds where the horses would be hitched until it was time to return home.  One local history recounts a young boy remembering that he and his father delivered hay to local churches to keep the horses quiet during the service.  With the advent of the automobile and changing religious practices, a number of those early church buildings were no longer needed.  Some were sold and used for various purposes such as personal residences and farm buildings and others sadly were left to deteriorate over time.

Frome United Church was built upon the site of the second oldest church in Canada.  Originally established in 1819 by Rev. Joseph Silcox, he named the church 'The Independent Presbyterian Prince of Peace Society' with his desire that it would be a community church.  This was born out in many of Southwold’s churches. While religious services and affiliated church groups were the primary reason for church buildings, churches played an important part in the life of the community.  They served as places for: social events; a venue for local schools to hold their Christmas concerts and public speaking contests; strawberry socials; garden parties; beef and turkey suppers; meeting places for local secular groups like Women’s Institute, Optimist Clubs and quilting bees; and polling stations for municipal, provincial and federal elections. 

Following the end of World War II, Southwold had European immigrants settle in the township and in particular a number of Dutch families made Southwold Township their home.  Many of these families were either, but not exclusively of the Roman Catholic or the Christian Reformed traditions. 

It must be noted that present day parishioners of Southwold churches will be glad to know that services are not as long as with Rev. Silcox.  He is said to have preached for two hours, his prayers being about the same length, with people standing during the prayers!

Many of the churches both past and present have at various times recorded their histories and they are available on the Elgin County Heritage Collection website. 

A 1938 history of one church contains this quote;

Those words ring true today as we reflect upon the important role churches and faith communities had and still have in the life, faith and history of Southwold Township.  

Elgin County Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society

Published 2006 - Churches in Southwold Township

** indicates the four churches open in 2025

1. Fingal Anglican
2. Fingal Baptist **
3. Fingal Methodist
4. Fingal United Church
5. First Southwold Baptist
6. Free Methodist
7. Frome Congregational (United) **
8. Frome Episcopal
9. Frome Methodist
10. Grace Church, Shedden
11. Iona Station Baptist
12. Iona United Church (Christian Fellowship)
13. Knox Presbyterian, Fingal **
14. Lake Road Methodist
15. Lawrence Station United Church
16. McBride’s Presbyterian/United/Christian Fellowship
17. Middlemarch Bible Christian
18. Middlemarch United Church
19. Muskoka Methodist
20. Paynes Mills Presbyterian
21. Second Southwold Baptist
22. Shedden Baptist
23. Shedden Congregational
24. Shedden United (Bethany)
25. Southwold Station United Church
26. St. Columbus Presbyterian, Fingal
27. St. Paul’s Roman Catholic, Fingal
28. Talbotville Baptist
29. Talbotville Bible Christian
30. Talbotville United Church **
31. Watson’s Corners Methodist
32. White’s (Mellor) Methodist

With thanks to the following sources for information contained in this article and for their preservation of Southwold history.

• Website: https://elgin.ogs.on.ca
• Website: https://www.elgincountyheritagecollections.ca– in particular, Sims’ History of Elgin County by Hugh Joffre Sims
• Shedden Branch, Elgin County Library
• St. Thomas Public Library
• Website: https://elgin.ogs.on.ca/ancestor-indexes/places-of-worship/southwold-churches/history-of-st-pauls-church-fingal-1914/