BUILDING THE FIRST CHURCH 1860-1865

Charge, which occurred from 1859 to 1862

following the withdrawal of Rev. John M. MacLeod, the charge was divided into East and West. Summerside had been a minor preaching station in Richmond Bay Charge from 1819 to the time of Rev. Mr. MacLeod’s departure. The principal preaching points were located at Lots 14 and 16. Other stations were located at the St. Eleanor’s Court House, and at Traveller’s Rest. After 1861 Lot 16 and Summerside became the only two preaching stations in the new Richmond Bay East Charge.

Six years after the purchase of the Joseph Green property on North Market Street construction finally began on the new Summerside church. Since Lot 16 was still considered the main preaching station in Richmond Bay East Charge the building plans for the proposed new church were under the management of the Lot 16 Session: Anthony Craswell, George Linkletter, Roderick MacLean, and Hugh Carr. Construction on the church commenced in 1862 with the laying of the foundation.,A local congregational committee at Summerside consisting of James Muirhead, Robert Glover, Thomas Brehaut, Alexander Shaw, and Colin MacLennan supervised the work. The lumber for the church was cut from the forest at Welling’s (also Wellens or Welland’s) Point, which extends into Bedeque Bay to the west of Summerside, and hauled to the construction site by Neil Sinclair.

During the three year vacancy in Richmond Bay

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