Pictou County has joined the Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia’s Doors Open for Churches program with five sites taking part in the program on Saturday, Sept. 21.
Fergie MacKay, a lay minister and member of the Pictou County Historical Society, is the local volunteer organizing the program. MacKay will organize a guided tour of the sites, which begins at 10 a.m. at the Log Church in Lyons Brook. The group will then proceed to the MacGregor Cairn, First Presbyterian Church, Pictou; Pictou United Church, St. Andrew’s Kirk, Pictou and Stella Maris Roman Catholic Church, also in the Town of Pictou.
• The Log Church is located on the Loch Broom Loop, Pictou County (civic number 1574). It is a replica of the first church built in Pictou County in 1787. The minister of the time was the famous Rev. James Drummond MacGregor. D.D. services are held in the church and it is often a location of choice for weddings with a Scottish flare.
• The MacGregor Cairn is located on the Halliburton Road directly opposite the Sutherland Harris Memorial Hospital, toward the harbour in a barn owned the Squire Robert Patterson. On July 23, 1785, Rev. James MacGregor preached his first sermons in English and Gaelic.
• The First Presbyterian Church is located at 10 Prince St., Pictou. This church stands on the location of the first church built in the Town of Pictou. It was designed in Early Victorian Gothic. One of its founders was Thomas McCulloch, the founder of Pictou Academy and first president of Dalhousie University. The main ornamental work is found on the pews and on the pulpit.
• The Pictou United Church is located in the middle of the town at 47 James St. This church was dedicated on June 28,1964.
• Pictou’s St. Andrew’s Kirk Church began as the Church of Scotland in 1822. A beautiful interior, high pulpit and close-to-perfect acoustics are hallmarks of this impressive church.
• Stella Maris Roman Catholic Church opened in 1866 and the present-day church took almost a year-and-a-half to build. It was extensively renovated inside and out during 1991 and 1992. Inside, behind the altar is an iron cross of the 18th century French origin. It was found in the local area and is believed to have been used by French pioneers here before New England settlers arrived.
MacKay and the Heritage Trust invite the community and visitors alike to join the tour and take advantage of the opportunity to see these lovely churches of historical significance with features that range from impressive architecture to beautiful stained-glass windows.
