St. James Anglican Church – A Light on the Hill, 1838
Fenelon Falls was founded long before the advent of the welfare state. At that time, the Church was an extremely important institution. It helped with education, care for the sick, elderly, and many other forms of charity. Churches were also community cultural facilities, hosting all kinds of events. The Church of England (Anglican) had a close relationship with the Government of Upper Canada. Like many other contemporary communities, Fenelon Falls was owned by Anglicans, James Wallis and Robert Jameson, who donated land to found a church. Through land sales, the state funded the Church of England.
Three aspiring young gentlemen, James Wallis, John Langton (Anne’s brother, later Canada’s First Auditor General), and Robert Dennistoun (later a Peterborough judge) were pivotal in establishing the Church of England at Fenelon Falls—fundraising, collecting subscriptions to support a minister and petitioning the governor for grants and a clergyman. Wallis personally conducted services until a permanent minister could be secured, and also donated lots for the chapel and parsonage (which was originally on the north side of Francis Street, near the lake).
Since Wallis owned the village he could choose any site he wanted for the church. St. James, as it was built, was literally a light on a hill, and local parishioners would have appreciated its symbolism: "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." At the time, it was far more common for someone to be unable to read, than to be able to read, and not to read the Bible. Children would grow up learning by reading scripture (often from their minister), and it was generally accepted that society should aspire to Christian ideals. The founders of Fenelon Falls’ first church were realizing these social values.
In Upper Canadian public discourse, "religion" synonymous with Christianity. It was far more controversial that the state supported a particular denomination, than that it supported religion. At the time, the distinction between being Protestant and Catholic really mattered. By 1851 (when data becomes available) the religious affiliations of Fenelon residents were: Church of England 245, Free Church Presbyterian 115, Presbyterian 94, Episcopalian Methodist 46, Wesleyan Methodist 38, Roman Catholic 14, Quaker 12, Baptist 5, and None 21. So nearly half of residents were Anglican, though on the other hand, a slim majority adhered to other denominations. Because of the Church of England’s close relationship with the state, it was able to afford a chapel long before the other denominations, who typically met in private homes.
On May 6, 1838, Rev. C.T. Wade opened St. James Church, which was a small log chapel, built on the church hill, complete with a porch and belfry (now Old St. James cemetery). Anne Langton recorded "the pews are left without doors, to obviate exclusiveness, but as some of them are paid for by individuals, there will be some appropriation of them, and this in so small a place is undesirable." On April 24, 1839, the congregation held a bee to make a road up the hill to the church, and that same year, they welcomed their first permanent minister, Rev. Thomas Fidler. He volunteered to teach school, however, attendance was spotty at best.
Rev. Fidler served the community until May 15, 1847, when he tragically drowned. He was trying to cross the Fenelon River above the falls, along with two brothers who were assisting him, named Sinclair. Though the waters were high with the spring run off, they paddled across above the falls to a landing and grabbed some branches. But they wanted to land at a point further downstream, so they let go. Swept out into the current, facing the wrong direction, they tumbled over the mill dam and falls, all three perishing.
The first St. James Anglican church burned around 1850, and was replaced with a much larger frame building on the same site. It would serve until the third St. James Anglican Church opened at the bottom of the hill in 1902.
