The sign bearing this timeline is appropriately situated, as it stands beside one of the two original churches in Halifax. The church had an intimate relationship with the city in its early years. The timeline relates the history of the church and its congregants from the first arrivals in 1749 to 1800, at which time the church was supplanted by a newer and much larger one, known as "The Round Church".
Built as a cottage prior to 1756, the church was moved to the old burying ground at the corner of Brunswick and Gerrish Streets in 1756 by evangelical Lutherans. Begun in 1752, the burying ground is possibly the second oldest in Halifax, the first begun in 1750 to receive the victims of typhus who died after arriving in the new world. The burying ground remained in use until 1843.
Though the oldest active Lutheran congregation is in Lunenburg, NS, they held services in the open air and later at St. John's Anglican Church. A church was finally built in 1772, which means that this church had been in use for 16 years before the Lunenburg building was erected.
In 1760 the church was enlarged and received its bell tower and spire. Consecrated St. George's Church in 1760, it became an Anglican church, even though it still served the German population of Halifax and offered Lutheran services. Its becoming an Anglican Church was largely an economic move, as that allowed it to receive a much needed stipend from the Anglican Church.
The church continued in use until the opening of the magnificent round St. George's church, just down Brunswick Street, construction of which began in 1800. In its lifetime the building has served the community as church, school and community centre.
Great Britain, France & the Founding
of Halifax
Foreign Protestants brought in to help the British found Halifax adapted quickly to conditions in their new home, worked hard and prospered. Today, their church is a living reminder of their faith, tenacity and vision.
JUNE 1749: THE FOUNDING OF HALIFAX: Edward Cornwallis brought 2000 settlers to Nova Scotia to establish a military base (to be called Halifax) as part of Britain's struggles with France for supremacy in North America.
Most of these settlers came from English cities. It soon became apparent that they did not possess the skills needed to carve a new colony out of the wilderness, so Cornwallis arranged for the British government to send "Foreign Protestants" to Halifax. These hard-working immigrants, most of whom spoke German, sought freedom from religious, economic and political stress in Europe.
1750: THE FOREIGN PROTESTANTS: More than 300 "Foreign Protestants" arrived on the ship Ann. Many of them died of typhus (ship fever) following the voyage and were buried in a mass grave on a piece of land outside the palisade given to the newcomers as a burying ground.
1750-1753: In all, 3000 German, Swiss and French immigrants arrived in Halifax. They were placed in the "north suburbs" near the burying ground, and a community grew up. However, in 1753, most of the newcomers moved on to settle Lunenburg. Many of today's German street names (Brunswick, Gottingen, Artz) reflect the influence of these early settlers.
1756: MOVING THE LITTLE DUTCH (DEUTSCH) CHURCH To satisfy their longing for a church in which to practise their Lutheran faith, the Germans moved a cottage to the burying ground and placed it over the grave of the settlers who died in 1750. In 1760, they extended the building and added a spire in the style of their homeland, topped by a weathervane, which they fashioned from a shovel. Otto Schwartz became the first elder of the church.
1756-1786: THE LUTHERAN AND ANGLICAN TRADITIONS The community could not afford a pastor, so at first the Lutheran services, in German, were conducted by the schoolmaster, Johann Gottfried Torpel. The Little Dutch (Deutsch) Church was officially a chapel of Saint Paul's. It was consecrated to Saint George by the rector of Saint Paul's in 1760. Twice a year Holy Communion was celebrated according to the Anglican rite, and in 1779 the congregation purchased its own magnificent silver communion service from England. But it still had no pastor.
1786: THE REVD BERNARD HOUSEAL The need for a pastor was finally met when the German loyalist The Rev'd Bernard Houseal (formerly a Lutheran pastor in New York) came to Halifax as a missionary to the German population. Before taking up this charge, he was ordained an Anglican priest in London. He ministered to the German community until his death in 1799 and is buried under the Little Dutch Church.
1790s: The congregation expanded and prospered. Many non-Germans attended, and English was increasingly used. A larger church was needed. Just 40 years after the Foreign Protestants arrived in Halifax, plans were being made, under the patronage of Edward Duke of Kent, for a magnificent new Saint George's (see next panel). Construction of the Round Church began in 1800.
1800 ON...A CHANGED ROLE: After the congregation began to worship in the new Saint George's, the Little Dutch Church was used occasionally for services and as a school. The burying ground remained in use until 1843. Carved on its stones are the names of many families of "Foreign Protestants" whose descendants are now spread throughout North America.
From the sign