History of Valleyfield and CongregatiOn 9

' t to have the support of friends in the new land that it was " decided to send a missionary to labour among the people of BroWn’s Creek.

. - ' ' Other Church Changes

In‘ 1875, four branches of the church of Scotland joined together to form the Presbyterian Church of Canada. Again in 1925 a vote was taken throughout the church on the ques- tion of uniting the Presbyterian, Methodist and Congrega— tional Churches into one United Church of Canada. While the two latter denominations joined in, the Presbyterian Church divided partly for the United Church and the other

as continuing Presbyterians.

Valleyfield Churches

. Although several meeting houses had been built in the

r ' ' district lying to the south 0f Douse’s Road, the latter place

became the spiritual center. Help from the outlying dis-

tricts contributed to the building of the successive meeting fl ' . houses and churches here. These are as follows:

1841—The home of William Martin was used. This stood near the blazed line of his farm. .

1842—Mr. Martin’s house being found too small for the ex- panding congregation, a log meeting house was built.

1’ This stood in the cemetery property.

1845—Several settlements combined to build a frame church which was completed and opened in 1845. In 1847

; this, too, was found inadequate to the needs of the growing congregation and so was enlarged to seat from

two hundred to three hundred people. This building

stood near the first one.

1855—A new, quite large, church was built and opened in 1855. This stood to the northeast of the cemetery pro— perty and near the site of the other meeting houses. The spire was added a few years later. The floor of the original church, sloped somewhat after the style adopted in theatres, towards the pulpit. When the church was remodelled some years later the floor was

. made level. There were, in all, seventy—six seats in

* this church. For some years after the present church,

I was built, the old church was used on Communion

Sundays for the Gaelic service. In order to obviate up-

9. keep expense, or disrepair, the church was razed in 1925.