The Presbyterians of Bonshaw and area erected this church in the years 1864 to 1867, about 30 years after the establishment of the community of Bonshaw. The first communion service were held in the church on May 26th, 1867. The building served the Presbyterians until until June of 1925 when it joined the United Church of Canada as part of
Church Union in Canada, becoming the Bonshaw United Church.
Still the hub of the community, housing the Bonshaw Post Office and the Community Hall, the church is obviously prized by the community who have kept it well maintained. The building exhibits much attention to detail in its construction, with patterned shingle work and scrollwork on the façade and the spire. Altogether, this is a cute little church - the rest of us are happy that the community has kept it and has kept it up.
Little known factoid: Anne Murray taught school for a time in Summerside. During that time she sang at this church as a fundraiser in 1967.
Below is an excerpt from the Summerside Journal Pioneer, published on the occasion of the church's being added to the P.E.I. Register of Heritage Buildings.
Journal Pioneer Staff
Published on December 17, 2013
...The hall started life as a Presbyterian church. In 1864, while the Fathers of Confederation were discussing the possible creation of Canada, in Bonshaw the first church in the area was under construction. The land had been acquired from Alexander and Ann Robertson the previous year and construction was complete by the spring of 1867.
A public tea was held on the July 18, 1867, to liquidate the debt on the church, described as a remarkable event with the “abundance of the choicest cake and tea, together with a refreshment saloon supplied with strawberries and cream, sandwiches, ginger beer, bread, beef, ham, confectionary, etc.” [The sum raised was 60 pounds.]
The Presbyterian church served the community and surrounding area until 1925 when the United Church of Canada was formed. Bonshaw Church voted with Hampton and Tryon to decide whether to join this new church, with a vote of 71 to 70 in favour.
In 2005, the building closed as a church and was briefly an antique store until it the building was acquired by the Bonshaw Hall Co-operative, whose mandate it is to restore and maintain the building and to have it used as a community hall and cultural centre.
The hall is home to the Bonshaw Post Office, which is open six days a week, as well as for various community events.
From the Summerside Journal Pioneer
Bonshaw Hall
DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
The Bonshaw Hall is a vernacular styled building located in Bonshaw, Prince Edward Island.
HERITAGE VALUE
The Bonshaw Hall, formerly the Bonshaw Presbyterian Church and later, Bonshaw United Church, has been a major landmark for those travelling the main highway from Borden to Charlottetown for more than 150 years.
The community of Bonshaw was established approximately in 1837 at the head of navigation on the West or Elliott River. The Bonshaw Presbyterian Church was the first church to be established in the area, the land for the church having been donated by Alexander and Ann Robertson in 1863. By July of 1864 construction was underway, possibly by John White of DeSable or Bonshaw area, and in May 1867, the church held its first service under its first minister, Rev. John G. Cameron. Rev. Cameron was married to a daughter of Robert Bruce Stewart of nearby Strathgartney.
In the early years the church served the community and surrounding areas of Appin Road, Churchill, Argyle Shore and more. In 1925 with the establishment of the United Church of Canada, Bonshaw Presbyterian, along with the Hampton church joined the United Church and with Victoria, DeSable and Appin Road became the Hampton Pastoral Charge. In the 1960s, the Tryon and Hampton charges amalgamated. Anne Murray sang at the church as a fundraiser in 1967 when she was a teacher in Summerside.
The Bonshaw Hall retains much of its original architectural features and has been well maintained over the years. In 1962 work was carried out to the church foundation, floor joists and flooring. An extension was made to the original church in 1975-76 and at the same time a new foundation was laid. In 2009-2010, many of the windows were replaced with custom made wood replacement windows, and extensive work was undertaken to restore the steeple to its 1880 appearance.
In 2005, the Bonshaw United Church was decommissioned. The building briefly housed an antique store. In 2008, the church building was acquired by the Bonshaw Hall Co-operative whose mandate is to restore and maintain the building and operate it as a community hall and cultural centre. The Bonshaw Hall also houses the community post office.
The Bonshaw Hall continues to be valued as a community meeting place and cultural centre hosting meetings, musical entertainment, and special events and as a tangible reminder of the community's past.
CHARACTER-DEFINING ELEMENTS
- the vernacular one and one-half storey building
- the wood shingle cladding, including the ornamental shingle work on the front elevation and steeple
- the size and spacing of the gothic windows on the side and front elevations
- the re-constructed steeple with finial
- the entrance porch with its decorative shingling and brackets
- the gothic window with tracery above the front entrance
- the centered front door
- the extension off the rear elevation
From Historic Places Canada