The Early Church
The story of St. Mark’s Church in Niagara-on-the-Lake
has its beginning in 1790, when two residents wrote to Bishop Inglis of Nova
Scotia requesting that a clergyman be sent to minister to the residents of the
new village. The following year, the Reverend Robert Addison was commissioned as
missionary and minister at Niagara. The Church and indeed the whole Diocese of
Niagara owe their origins to his pioneer work.
As early as 1759, when the French Fort Niagara, on
what is now the American side of the Niagara River, had been captured by the
British, the Reverend John Ogilvie came from Albany, N.Y. to hold Anglican
services for several months. During the upheavals of the American Revolution,
settlers crossed the Niagara River and established farms and a small community
on the west bank. In 1784, the Reverend John Stuart of Kingston visited the
community briefly and preached in Fort Niagara.
The Bishop of Nova Scotia forwarded the request for a
resident clergyman to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign
Parts in England. This Society was engaged in supporting mission work around the
world. The Society had received an application from Robert Addison for service
abroad. So, in May 1791, Addison was appointed and within a couple of months he
set sail for Canada. He brought with him a silver chalice and his library of
more than 1,500 books, which remain possessions of St. Mark's.
When he arrived in Niagara the following July,
Addison discovered that his “parish” included all of the little villages that
were springing up from Fort Erie to Ancaster and from York (Toronto) to London,
including the Native Reserve along the Grand River. There was no church building
in what was called Newark, and services were held in the Masonic Lodge, or the
Indian Council House. The congregation included most of the important people of
the day, such as Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe, Colonel John Butler and
Major General Sir Isaac Brock. Addison also found himself the Chaplain to the
newly formed legislature, a position that he was to fill for the next quarter
century.
The land granted by the Crown for a Church lay midway
between the town and the military establishment at Fort George. Work began
quickly on the construction of a fine building with the stone being quarried
from the escarpment and hauled to the site by the troops. It seemed for a while
that the project was too ambitious for the small congregation and the work was
not complete enough for the holding of services until 1809. The structure was
rectangular and the outline of the extension for the chancel may still be seen
in the floor boards. The building remains the oldest Anglican Church in
continuous use in Ontario. As early as 1820 it was known as St. Mark's.
The cemetery surrounding the church was the community
burial ground before the building began and one marker found near the foundation
when the transepts were added bears the inscription “Lenerd Blanck deseaced 5
Aug 1782”. The oldest stone in the cemetery is that of Elizabeth Kerr, daughter
of Molly Brant and Sir William Johnson, who died in 1794.
War of 1812
During the War
of 1812 the Church was used first as a hospital by the British and Canadian
forces. When Major General Sir Isaac Brock was killed at Queenston, Addison
conducted his funeral service and followed the cortege to the burial site in
Fort George.
The American forces occupied the town in 1813. They
destroyed the Fort and dug rifle pits in the cemetery, the contours of which can
still be seen. The Church was used for stores and several of the markers in the
cemetery bear the marks of what the local residents believed to be the scars
left when the cooks used them for chopping meat. Before retreating across the
river, the enemy burned the entire town except for one house and the
lighthouse.
As soon as the town was liberated, the British army
replaced the roof of the Church and used the building for their stores until
their own Fort and commissary could be rebuilt. Since the first priority was to
rebuild their houses, it was some time before attention could be given to
refurbishing the Church and it was not until 1828 that St. Mark's was formally
rededicated. A bell was furnished by public subscription and intended both to
call people to worship and to sound the alarm in case of a fire in the
town.
Years of Prosperity
In
1840, following the visit of the Right Reverend John Strachan, Bishop of
Toronto, a subscription was begun to enlarge the church and by 1841 the addition
of the transepts was completed. The east window was installed at that time, as
well as the four tablets beside it, bearing the ten commandments, the Lord’s
Prayer and the Creed. Balconies were constructed on all three sides of the
Church, primarily for the seating of the troops from the Fort.
In 1843 the two high pulpits were added, their sloped
ceiling providing sufficient acoustical quality to allow the speaker to be heard
throughout the Church. A new tower was added to the Church.
The Rectory was constructed in 1858, in the style of
a Tuscan Villa favored by the well to do of the day. A chime of six bells was
installed in the church tower in 1877, replacing the original bell. In 1886 a
Sunday Schoolhouse was built.
Toward the end of the nineteenth century, the Church
was significantly altered. The balconies were removed. The organ which had been
in the west gallery was moved to the front of the Church. The box pews were
removed and the paneling used as wainscoting around the Church. New pews were
installed in both the nave and transepts. These major renovations were completed
in time for the parish to celebrate its centennial in 1892.
The first half of the twentieth century saw a number
of furnishings given as memorials. The altar, in memory of Warden John W. Ball,
was hand crafted from a black walnut tree grown on his farm. Seven stained glass
memorial windows, installed by McCausland of Toronto, added to the beauty of the
Church. A lectern that had served in Grace Church in Detroit and had been a
memorial to Captain W.L. Melville was given to St. Mark's Church where Captain
Melville had worshipped for many years, as had his parents. Electric lighting
was installed in both the Church and the Sunday Schoolhouse. Three bells were
added to complete the set of chimes in the tower in memory of those who died in
action during the First World War.
Restoration
By the
early sixties it became evident that major repairs were required in the Church.
Both the roof and floor of the Church were reinforced and restored and new
lighting was installed. The organ was removed and the space it had occupied was
converted into a Sacristy. The organ was placed in the balcony, supplemented by
new pipes and a new console, as a memorial to those who had served in the Second
World War. A new communion rail and baptismal font were installed. Ladies of the
parish completed the needlework for new kneelers. The font and a stained glass
window, both designed specifically for St. Mark's, were consecrated.
The Schoolhouse, which by then was referred to as the
Parish Hall, was also in need of repair. In 1966, extensions were added to both
sides. A Historic Building Foundation was established to separate the costs of
maintaining the buildings from the regular finances of the Church, thus allowing
donations to be made specifically for the maintenance of these historic
properties.
As the Church approached its Bicentennial an era of
renewed enthusiasm began. A concert grand piano was given to the congregation.
Heraldic arms were presented, bearing the inscription Proclaim the Good News.
The summer lecture series was instituted to offer challenging theological
perspectives to the congregation and community. A concert committee was
established to present regular concerts including organ, piano, vocal and
instrumental music. The Peace Chapel was created in the north transept to be
used for Eucharist services for small groups. The former pulpit, was converted
into an altar for use in the chapel.
Throughout their long and colourful history across
four centuries, the people of St. Mark's have remained true to their calling.
They have worked together to sustain and enhance their buildings and property.
They have worshipped together in times of stress and in times of celebration. If
Robert Addison were to return today, he might at first find the words and music
of the service falling strangely on his ears. Once accustomed to the newness of
the language, however, he would find that this people have remained true to
their calling to proclaim the gospel to a different, but equally needy
world.
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