Description of Historic Place

Marieton Church and Cemetery is a Municipal Heritage Property located approximately fifteen kilometres west and nine kilometres south of the Village of Bulyea in the Rural Municipality of McKillop No. 220. The property features a one-storey, wood-sided church with square entrance tower, constructed in 1912, and a community cemetery dating from 1920.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of Marieton Church and Cemetery resides in the property’s use as a place of worship for Anglican parishioners in the Marieton district and in its status as the community cemetery. Andrew Rowan, a local resident, built the church on a prominent hill two kilometres east of Last Mountain Lake on land donated by one of the founding members of the congregation, William Tingey. The church originally was known as St. John’s Anglican Church. Construction was completed in 1912 and the church was dedicated and the land for the cemetery consecrated on October 7, 1915. The congregation disbanded in 1986, but church services continued on an occasional basis until 2001. The cemetery is the final resting place for many of the district’s residents and continues to fulfill this role for the Marieton community. In 1972, the congregation placed a large rock with brass plaque near the church entrance as a focal point for the cemetery and to recognize the church’s sixtieth anniversary.

Heritage value also resides in the church’s architecture. The wood-frame construction with exterior walls finished in wood siding, simple rectangular plan, rounded-arch windows, and east-west orientation are common of small rural Anglican churches constructed during the early years of the last century. The exterior displays late-Gothic Revival influences such as the central, crenellated bell tower and steeply-pitched gable roof. These features make the property a distinctive landmark in the area.

Heritage value also resides in the church’s interior. The vertical oak wainscotting is a typical feature of Anglican churches from this era as are the multi-paneled oak doors which provide entry to both the front porch and the main church structure. Of particular note is the church’s wood ceiling, which was the artistic work of pioneer resident Andrew Rowan, who also built the pews.

Source:
Rural Municipality of McKillop No. 220, Bylaw No. 168/00.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of Marieton Church and Cemetery lies in the following character-defining elements:
-those significant architectural elements on the building, such as the rounded-arch windows, wood-frame construction, rectangular form, multi-paneled oak doors, steeply-pitched gable roof, and central, crenellated bell tower;
-elements that reflect the property’s use as a place of worship, such as the oak-accented sanctuary, oak pews, and intricate wood ceiling;
-elements that contribute to the property’s status in the community, including its situation on its original location on a prominent hill, and the adjacent cemetery with rows of headstones.