It
has been a wonder to strangers visiting in Hamilton that a congregation
composed of hard-headed practical old Scotchmen ever thought of building such
an architectural dream for a home of divine worship as St. Paul’s church. There
is not a more ornate or esthetic work of the builder’s art on the continent of
America, and it stands today as a monument of the liberality and refined taste
of the men and women who worshiped in the little old frame building that moved from the site to
give place to the new St. Andrew’s. Some years later, the name was changed to
St. Paul’s, but why it would be difficult to learn, as the name of Andrew had
the genuine Scotch ring to it. The cornerstone was laid on the afternoon of September
14, 1854, in the presence of a large gathering. Professor George, of Queen’s
college, Kingston, opened the ceremonies with a prayer, after which the
cornerstone was deposited in place by John Young, Esq., who was presented with
a handsome solid silver trowel. The Rev. Robert Burnet, pastor of the church,
made the dedicatory. It was a day long to be remembered in the history of the
church. The larger part of the old congregation have finished life’s journey,
but their work so well begun on that September afternoon still stands as an
ornamental and as a memorial of the liberality of those who contributed to its
erection. Probably it might be interesting at the time, nearly fifty years
later, to give a description of the edifice. The design is of the early
decorated style of English Gothic architecture.
There is a basement under the whole of the building for a school and
lecture room, but this was abandoned many years ago, and a building for that
purpose was erected at the west end of the church. The tower rises 100 feet to
the top of the parapet line, where it reduces to the octagonal style, the best
clustered with pinnacles and their canopies. The spire is built of stone, which
is pierced in two divisions, on rich belts. The main entrance is by a column-arched
opening 14 feet high, forming a porch under the tower. The architect was W.
Thomas, and the building was erected under his superintendence. WE can only
learn from one man now living who was engaged on the building during the three
years that it took to construct it. His life, that began with all the hopes and
prospects of a bright youth and mature years became clouded as age passed, and he
is now spending the remnant of his life in the house of refuge, not through any
fault of his own.
Only a few of the members are now
living who were active in church work when St. Paul’s was built, and the only
names our informant could give us are George A. Young, Miss Young, Mrs.
Bellhouse, Mrs. Wm. Allen, James Vallance, Alexander Milne, Wm. Ronald, Matthew
Leggatt, John Jeffrey. Others may yet be in the land of the living, but even
the best of memories cannot be relied upon after a lapse of half a century.
James Vallance can certainly lay claim to being the oldest attendant of St.
Andrew’s and St. Paul’s, for he was born and christened in the old frame
building that so many years was consecrated to divine worship. When a youth, he
joined the choir of the church, and today he sings as sweetly as he did sixty
years ago, only that now he takes the bass part. He was one of the leading
members of the choir when the new St. Andrew’s was dedicated.
The old frame church stood on the site
of the present handsome church. It was probably one of the first Presbyterian
churches built in the city, and in its day numbered among its congregation that
assembled in it, many of the men and women who were a power and moral force for
good in the early history of Hamilton. When it was decided to build a new
church, the old one was moved over to the corner of Charles and Jackson streets,
and the congregation worshipped there till the new building was dedicated in
1857. During the time that the Rifle Brigade was in Hamilton the old frame
church was used by the government as a military school, and it was afterward
sold to the German Roman Catholic congregation. The bell that is now in the
tower of St. Paul’s church was brought from the old country away back in the
early history of the old church, and it was the first Protestant bell tolling
in the city. It still rings out as clear as when it first called the people
together for divine worship nearly three quarters of a century ago. How many a
tale of the olden times its music tells.
The trustees and building committee
must have been men of great faith, for they began the construction of the new
church without know where the money was coming from to finish it; but as a
number of them were men of means, the work was never stopped for want of money,
for they supplied the shortage from their own bank accounts, and neither they
nor their heirs ever got it back again. Once the trustees put their hands to
the plough, they never turned back until the last furrow was finished. The
church in reality stands as a memorial to their generosity, and it is to be
hoped that their names are engraved on a tablet, and that it finds a prominent
place in the building. As we said in the opening paragraph of this
reminiscence, St. Paul’s is an architectural dream and accredit to the esthetic
taste of the men and women who made it possible half a century ago. To erect
such a building was a large undertaking; it took nearly three years to complete
the work. There were no dedicatory ceremonies beyond declaring the church open
for the worship of Almighty God.
When St. Paul’s was built, it was
pronounced the handsomest church in Canada; and indeed it can yet claim the honor.
It is built of stone from the Hamilton quarries, and the steeple and trimmings
of Ohio stone. It was designed to seat 1,100 persons. The total amount of all
contracts for the building complete was $44,000, of which $2,500 was expended
in building the spire. Jonathan Simpson was the contractor, and his work still
speaks of the faithfulness with which he followed the specifications of the
architect. The old bell was placed in the new steeple, and when the old boys
and girls who worshiped in St. Paul’s in the long ago returned this week to
visit the home of their youth, they heard its high staccato noise inviting them
to prayer.
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But it was not granted to St. Paul’s
that all would be sunshine. Dark clouds gathered and rent the sturdy old Scotch
congregation in twain. It always takes two parties to make a quarrel. There was
a division of sentiment, at first merely a speck, bit it grew in proportion till
finally Dr. Burnet withdrew from the pastorate, and, with a number in sympathy with
him, organized a new congregation and built what is now a Jewish synagogue, on
the corner of Hunter and Park streets, to which he gave the name of St. Andrew’s.
However, we will not enter into details. Church quarrels, like family quarrels,
are generally fought out to the bitter end. It is often a wonder to the man or
woman of the world why it is that people, who profess to be guided in their
lives by the example and teachings of Christ, can put up the most brutal fight
when they get at outs with each other. More than one minister has broken up his
church because he could not have his own way in the management of affairs, and
for choir fights, they are as perennial as dog fennel or dandelion, and are
harder to root out. As the result of internal disturbance, the doors of St.
Paul’s were closed for six years, when they were reopened on a lease from the
trustees. There was a blanket mortgage on the church, under which it was
finally sold, the Baptists becoming the purchasers. The trustees and building
committee were heavy losers, they having advanced the money for the larger part
of the original cost, and when the building was sold the price barely paid the
amount of the mortgage, and the interest that had been accruing when the church
was closed. It was humiliating to the proud spirit of the Scots that a
Presbyterian church be sold for debt and pass into the hands of another
denomination. Those who had remained loyal during all the years of adversity
got together and bought the building back from the Baptists, paying them a
bonus of $2,000 on the amount paid at the mortgage sale.
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Once more the sun of prosperity shone
on the historic old church that was organized in the early days when Hamilton
first became a village. Dr. Burnet and the seceders had appropriated the name
of St. Andrew’s for their new church, so it was decided to change the name of
the legitimate St. Andrew’s to that of St. Paul, and thus wipe out forever all
connection with the unfortunate feud. The church is now in a prosperous
condition, free of debt, and with a scholarly and popular pastor in charge of
the church. Only one serious mishap occurred during the building of the church.
One of the workmen employed in building the spire fell from its lofty height
and was crushed out of shape. Joseph Kneeshaw then owned a book store and
bindery on the corner of King and Hughson streets (the site now occupied by the
Provident and Loan building), and he was working at a ruling machine by a
window that faced to the west. Happening to look out at that moment, he saw the
poor fellow as he fell from the scaffolding. After the Baptists sold St. Paul’s
back to its own people, they bought a lot on the opposite corner and began the
erection of a new church. Evidently the contractors who were doing the stone
work were sparing of lime and used sand for mortar because it was cheaper. When
the north wall was well up toward the top a large section of it collapsed and
crushed down in a heap. It was fortunate that the fall occurred before the
building was completed, for it was liable to collapse at any time, and might
have cost the loss of life. Fortunately, no one was injured.
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