The perseverance of faith - Trinity Anglican Church – Cornwall

When a group of Loyalist settlers arrived in the area that was to become Cornwall, it was not the end of their saga, but another beginning. The men and women loyal to the British Crown had relocated north from the start to the end of the Revolutionary War in the States. Some had spent years in refugee camps and were homeless until land grants were received for this area. But they came to wooded lots and times of hardship.

Eager to make a life here, about a hundred or so of the settlers were members of the Church of England. First came shelter, food and clothing; provisions for education and religion were slower to achieve. But by 1787, the Anglicans of Cornwall, founded a parish with a priest, a parsonage, a school and a churchyard. They met in private homes. There was also the start of a graveyard. Unfortunately, their priest was an imposter who fled to the States, abandoning his wife and family here. 

It was not until 1803, when Reverend John Strachan arrived, that the parish found growth. By now, the Anglican population numbered closer to three hundred. They built their first church and parsonage; it opened in 1806. The original plans were grand, with a high steeple. Pews were like boxes, and families had to buy or rent one. There was a balcony with no pews for those who could not afford one. They would stand for the length of the service. 

The parish grew, and the cornerstone of a new, larger church was laid in 1869. The new church, the one present today, opened in 1875. Trinity Anglican Church was first known as Bishop Strachan Memorial. This official title came in 1884 when it was consecrated. The plans for this one also included a high steeple, but that was not possible. The weight was too much for the soil upon which the church was set. It was not until the 1980s, when lighter materials became available, that the steeple of today could be installed.

To the right of the church, the former presbytery is still in use by the Tri-County Literacy Group. To the left is the Cemetery, closed for burial in 1876. Formerly recognized by the St. Lawrence Branch of UELAC with a Loyalist Cemetery plaque. This is the oldest burial ground in the City of Cornwall. It was first used as a common graveyard for local Protestants, and later for only Trinity Anglican Church members. Many of the original settlers are buried there. Some markers and headstones can still be seen at the site. 

Interestingly, the postcard photo, colourized in the 1930s, shows a red roof. The church never had a roof of this colour.