Crowland church’s long history marked by collaboration
Now part of Welland, the former township of Crowland had its own history and development, before being officially amalgamated into the city in 1970.
Crowland featured churches, businesses and historical figures, some of whom continued to play a part in Welland’s history and development as the two municipalities became more and more intertwined. One of these establishments was the former Crowland Presbyterian Church.
The church was founded in 1834 under Rev. Angus McIntosh, who was sent by the Church of Scotland in that same year as an ordained minister to attend the district stretching west and north from Fort Erie.
Once the congregation was formed, a schoolhouse in the northeast corner of the historical Doan’s Ridge Cemetery was chosen as the church’s first meeting place, with regular services being conducted there until 1858.
In that same year, a dedicated church building was constructed on a 0.2-hectare parcel of land along Cope Road.
In 1896, a building committee was put together to oversee construction of a second church, at 651 Cope Rd., to the south of the first church. The total cost of the new building was $1,000, and after it was completed, the old building was sold for use as an implement and storage shed on the Misener family farm.
The Crowland Presbyterian congregation had historically been connected to other congregations in the area. In 1918, the congregation was raised to the status of being an ordained mission field in connection with Port Robinson.
In 1928, the Crowland congregation was united with Chippawa’s, until the latter congregation became self-sustaining in 1957. A year later, the congregation was united with St. David’s, and in April of the same year, celebrated its centennial anniversary.
In 1960, the congregation proposed making some necessary changes to the layout and position of the church. Land given by Samuel Misener and the Henderson families increased the church’s lot to a frontage of 61 metres and a depth of 91.5 metres. The church, as seen in the photo from 1967, was moved from its initial position close to the road to being further back, and a full basement with kitchen facilities and dining/recreation areas was constructed.
Crowland Presbyterian became part of a two-point charge along with Fitch Street’s Knox Presbyterian Church in Welland. In 1966, they were joined by Kirk on the Hill of Fonthill, and in 1974 they joined with St. Andrew’s of Merritton.
The last and final unification came in 1976, when Crowland was joined by Welland Hungarian Presbyterian Church, which would become fully amalgamated with the Crowland congregation in 2012, after their own church was put up for sale due to the overwhelming cost of maintenance.
In October of 2014, Crowland Presbyterian Church celebrated 180 years of service, before abruptly closing. The former church building was put up for sale before eventually being renovated into a family home that can still be seen today, outwardly still retaining the shape of the church building.
The only other remaining physical trace of Crowland Presbyterian Church and its origins is marked by a stone at the intersection of Pearson and Ridge roads, at the northeast corner of Doan’s Ridge Cemetery, commemorating the site where the old schoolhouse stood.