Churches - Middleton United Church
Location: Middleton
Services: At present there are no services held in Middleton Union Church.
History:
The actual start up date of the first congregation of the Middleton Union Church is unknown. However, a Bible currently indicates it was donated to the church on September 6, 1863. The Bible's inscription states: "This Bible is for the preaching Station at Tatamagouche Road: to be used by all Evangelical Ministers who preached here.
The first congregations of the church used a hall, which in 1896 stood just across the road from the present church, for worship.
Records show that land for the present day church was purchased for $16. A deed was drawn up on May 1876, between William J. Neville and wife, to Joseph Stevenson, John Forbes, Matthew Forbes, John Bain and William J. Neville, with these men becoming the first trustees.
Money was collected from each family in the congregation to pay for their own individual pew. Each pew was numbered with families assigned given their pew number. To this day, descendants from these original families still sit in their assigned pews.
The original deed says that the church to be erected will be for the use of "ministers of the Kirk of Scotland Presbyterian Church of Canada and the Methodist Church of Canada to be occupied by them in turn ... and any other ordained minister of any evangelical church when not occupied by the aforesaid ministers. And it has truly been a "union" church with the stipulations still being adhered to today.