Alberta Register of Historic Places

Craigmyle United Church

Craigmyle

Other Names:

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place
The Craigmyle United Church is a two-storey building, with a high, intersecting gable roof, located on a double lot in the Hamlet of Craigmyle in Starland County. Covered in clapboard siding surmounted by wood-shingle accents, the building features simple cornerboards, and six-over-six double hung windows on the south-facing wall. On its north, east, and west elevations, the building also features Palladian-style three-over-nine windows topped with a multiple-light, shaped transom. A small, gabled shed-type entrance projects from the south wall of the building.

Heritage Value
The Craigmyle United Church is significant to Starland County as an historic place of worship and gathering within the community of Craigmyle, as well as for its characteristic ‘churchly’ design.
Constructed originally as a Methodist Church during the First World War, between 1915 and 1918, the Craigmyle United Church building stands as a valued place of worship for the small hamlet of Craigmyle, as well as meaningful place for community and social interaction. Methodist activities in the Craigmyle area date back to 1909, when religious services were initiated. In that same year, the Rev. J.F. Woodsworth officially organized the District, which also included Stettler and Wolfe Creek. A parsonage was erected on the present church property in 1914, and services were for a time conducted there. In 1915 work on the present church building were begun, but were not completed until 1918, under the supervision of Rev. Ed Longmire, the church’s first ordained minister. The congregation joined the United Church of Canada at the time of the union of the Methodist and Presbyterian Churches in 1925. After 1937, due to economic and population decline in the Craigmyle region, the church was served by ministers from Delia and other locations. Sunday School activities were sustained well into the 1960s and 70s. Despite infrequent services in passing decades, the church remains an important landmark within Craigmyle, and continues on – as it had historically – as an important location for occasional religious services, as well as a community meeting place and centre for social interaction.
The Craigmyle United Church is also significant for its architecture, with elements characteristic of small Methodist and United Church congregations of its era. The simple shingle detailing and window styles contribute to the ‘churchly’ design character of the building.

Character-Defining Elements
Key elements that define the heritage value of the Craigmyle United Church include such elements as its:
location and orientation to the street;
size, form, and massing of the building;
context within churchyard;
fenestration pattern and extant windows on all elevations, including those arranged in a Palladian style;
arrangement of the main interior volumes; and
extant historic wood trim, wood flooring, staircases, window and door frames,
doors, altar rails, pulpit and pews.

Location

Street Address:	235 Main Street
Community:	Craigmyle
Boundaries:	Lots 8 and 9, Block 5, Plan 7055BG
Contributing Resources:	Building

ATS Legal Description:

Mer	Rge	Twp	Sec	LSD

PBL Legal Description (Cadastral Reference):

Plan	Block	Lot	Parcel
7055BG	5	8 and 9

Latitude/Longitude:

Latitude	Longitude	CDT	Datum Type
51.670958	-112.245028		NAD 83

UTM Reference:

Northing	Easting	Zone	CDT	Datum Type

Recognition

Recognition Authority:	Local Governments (AB)
Designation Status:	Municipal Historic Resource
Date of Designation:	2012/08/14

Historical Information

Built:	1915 to 1918
Period of Significance:	1915 to present
Theme(s):	Building Social and Community Life : Religious Institutions
Historic Function(s):
Current Function(s):
Architect:
Builder:
Context:

Additional Information

Object Number:	4664-0006
Designation File:
Related Listing(s):
Heritage Survey File:
Website Link:
Data Source: