A September day beside the shores of Hay Bay: Church receives a plaque.

The weather was perfect. The crowd was large. The occasion was significant. Hay Bay Church, Canada's earliest surviving Methodist Chapel (1792) was designated a National Historical Site on 15 September 2001.

The venerable structure stands on the shores of Hay Bay, northeast of Adolphustown, and somewhat southwest of Napanee, Ontario. It was erected on the farm of Paul Huff UE, and many of the original subscribers were Loyalists, (see the Spring 2001 issue for a list of them.)

The driving force behind the project was the Methodist Episcopal Rev. William Losee UE, himself a veteran of Delancey's. The building as it now stands incorporates both the original structure and its 1835 addition.

The Church was abandoned in 1860 for improved facilities a concession or two south of Hay Bay, and for many years the Hay Bay Church was relegated to farm use. Its historical significance, however, was not forgotten, and a large celebration was held there on the occasion of its centennial in 1792. Perhaps this spurred Methodists on to reclaim this piece of their heritage, and in 1910 the Church once again assumed control of the property. Since then there has been restoration work done, displays are open during the summer, and this site is owned and operated by the Bay of Quinte Conference of the United Church of Canada.

Now Hay Bay Church is one of over 1700 Canadian people, places and events which have been designated as being of national historic significance, thanks to the Minister of Canadian Heritage.

The Official Party was paraded in by King's Royal Yorkers Cox, Johnson, Smith and Wannamaker. Dr. Richard Alway, Chair, Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada was master of ceremonies, and some of that party included: David Remington, Mayor of Greater Napanee, Robert Woodside, Chair of the Hay Bay Church trustees, and Rev. Bill Lamb. Some American guests and even The Right Rev. Marion Pardy, Moderator of the United Church were unable to secure travel connections, because of the turmoil surrounding the September 11th tragedy. Events in New York City influenced what happened in remote Hay Bay that day. Bill Lamb gave the address, and that was fitting, as it is unlikely that anyone knows more about the history of the Church. Local children related the story of the ten teenagers who drowned in Hay Bay in 1819. The plaque was unveiled, and a fine reception courtesy of the local United Church Women was held outdoors.

There is a certain satisfaction in seeing the federal recognition of Hay Bay Church. The church received plaques from the Province of Ontario and the Methodist Church in the United States many years ago. At the time of the Church bicentennial in 1992, moves were made to have a commemorative stamp issued to honour the occasion. Naturally, Canada Post turned down all such requests, preferring to honour more "important" places or events in its 1992 releases.

The text on the plaque [left] is printed below.

RELATED ARTICLE: This simple church, built in 1792 by United Empire Loyalists, recalls the early days of Upper Canadian settlement. The Methodists' evangelical zeal was expressed not only in religious practice but also in their contributions to Upper Canada's early social and political development. Stationed on the earliest Methodist itinerant circuit, this set was the location of the first camp meeting in Upper Canada in 1805. The church was enlarged in 1835 and remains the oldest surviving Methods building in Canada.