September 2025
For nearly 170 years, there had been a church on Nottawasaga 33/34 Sideroad in Clearview Township, in southern Ontario. Geographically situated at Part Lot 33, Concession 9, in what was then Nottawasaga Township, the West Nottawasaga Presbyterian Church had been in existence longer than Canada has been a country.
The land for the church, situated atop a hill that provides an exceptional view of the surrounding farm fields, was donated by Alexander Campbell and his wife on 19 June 1855, with land for a cemetery donated by Archibald McMurchy, one of the church trustees, on 21 June 1872.
The original church that occupied the property was built in 1853. It stood for a short 12-years, after which it was destroyed by a fire in 1865. The church was quickly replaced, but it too burned down after being struck by lightning in 1946.
Two years later, the third and final church was constructed. Sunday services, strawberry suppers, turkey dinners and community and family celebrations, such as weddings and funerals, were held in the church until July 1989, when regular services ceased. The church continued to be used at least once a year until finally being shuttered in 2019, when the Presbyterian congregations from West Church, Duntroon and Nottawa were amalgamated and re-located to Emmanuel Presbyterian on Hwy. 124. The aging church had begun showing its age, The leaky roof was causing the wallpaper to peel away and the basement walls were cracking and crumbling.
The abandoned church was demolished in June 2022, leaving only the cemetery, containing the remains of some of the early settlers in Nottawasaga Township, as a silent reminder of what had been. That is, until recently.
As a tribute to the former church and the years that it served the community, an open-air church memorial was dedicated on 7 September 2025.
On the back of the pulpit is written a description of the site and the meaning behind the parts of the memorial.
“Ten elms delineate the lost church buildings and the rhythm of their windows,” reads the inscription. “A boulder evokes the Holy Spirit’s foundational presence. Stone pews invite continued service and contemplation within this sacred place.”
The memorial includes six stone pews, a steel pulpit, and five elm trees on each side. As the Elm trees grow, the branches will meet in peaked arches, imitating the gothic arches and four windows of the last two churches that stood on the land, surrounded by the cemetery.
The memorial is located at 7993 33/34 Sideroad in Nottawa, west of County Road 124.
Sources: ‘It’s been there all my life’: Long-standing Clearview Township Presbyterian church to be demolished in August, West Church Memorial Dedication and Opening | Township of Clearview, West Nottawasaga Presbyterian Cemetery memorial unvieled.
