Monday, January 16, 2017

Goshen United Church


They say today is Blue Monday, the most depressing day of the year.  If you believe in that kinda thing. So cheer up dear reader, the days are getting longer and you woke up so it can't be all bad.

It still amazes me to see abandoned places, I am really not sure why I am fascinated with them but I am and I will drive for hours, pull over unexpectedly (safely), make u-turns (safely!) and take photos from as many angles as possible. Winter is not my favourite time to explore, snow makes it hard to pull over wherever I want and sometimes the seemingly endless white landscape doesn't make the most interesting photo....in my opinion of course. I have seen stunning winter photos but I can't take one for the life of me.  Plus getting myself or my car stuck would not be fun. I stepped off the roadside on my latest excursion and got snow over the tops of my boots....you never know what is under the snow or how deep it is.

Log church c.1925 
I recently visited Goshen United Church and Cemetery. On this quiet back roads corner sits the original log church building built in 1899 and also the 'new' church that was purchased by the congregation in 1925. The 10 year old frame church was moved from St. Albert and onto the site of the log church. The log church was moved to the corner of the yard and a large kitchen was added to it. The new larger church was used for gathering before and after dinner service in the old building. Goshen Church was registered with the Presbyterian Church and continued to serve Protestants from miles around when it became part of the United Church in 1925. The church closed it's doors in September 1958.

There was too much snow to look around the grounds (the gate was almost totally obscured by snow) but someone is looking after this old place as the covers on the windows and doors are recent. An internet search shows a photo of the churches in January 2014 and the windows and doors are not covered.

"The old order changeth, yielding place to new" Tennyson. That about sums it up.



Original log church - Provincial Archives photo c.1910
Provincial Archives photo 1935
Provincial Archives photo 1950

Resources used:
https://hermis.alberta.ca/paa/
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12 comments:

  1. BWBandyJanuary 16, 2017 at 12:39 PM

    Great post. You beat me to this one.

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    Replies
    1. JennJanuary 16, 2017 at 1:24 PM

      I rarely see something cool before you..I'm sure it won't happen often.

      Delete
  2. Chris BIGDoer DoeringJanuary 18, 2017 at 8:30 AM

    Fantastic! Nice subject there. Thanks for taking the time to research its history and share that here.

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    Replies
    1. JennMarch 27, 2018 at 11:23 AM

      Just a little late replyinng....thanks Chris!!

      Delete
  3. Glen BoweMarch 25, 2018 at 2:22 PM

    You have an amazing sense of where to find these old buildings. Thanks for your help Jenn.

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    Replies
    1. JennMarch 27, 2018 at 11:22 AM

      Thanks Glen, this is a neat place, with the old log church still there.

      Delete
  4. Heather BenslerJuly 16, 2020 at 12:42 PM

    Thanks for posting these photos. My great grandfather was the minister at this church in the early 1900s. I've never been there before but I feel connected to the place through your photos. Thank you.

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    1. UnknownMarch 13, 2021 at 2:03 PM

      Hey Heather,I was just there today visiting my great great grandfather Austin McKitrick's grave. He was a minister at Riviere Qui Barre from 1892? To 1895? He may have helped build it. Very interesting!

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    2. UnknownMarch 13, 2021 at 2:04 PM

      Hey Heather,I was just there today visiting my great great grandfather Austin McKitrick's grave. He was a minister at Riviere Qui Barre from 1892? To 1895? He may have helped build it. Very interesting! If you want to compare history hit me back kaylamckeever87@gmail.com

      Delete
    3. AnonymousNovember 16, 2022 at 2:33 PM

      My foster mother used to play the organ there for her Dad, last name Rooke, circa 1925

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    4. JennApril 11, 2023 at 10:06 PM

      Love all these comments of people the blog has reached with a connection to Goshen.

      Delete
  5. AnonymousSeptember 2, 2023 at 1:54 PM

    Our former neighbors/ close friends are buried in the graveyard there: David Fisher and Helen Fisher (nee Rooke). Helen was likely related to the organ player mentioned above (circa 1925). Helen used to tell us about attending church there in the old cutter sleigh, presumably before roads or when they were impassable. To the day they died they maintained Sunday as a day of rest

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