St. George's Anglican Church

Historical Notes

St. George's, the oldest and original "parish" church of St. Catharines, apparently dating back almost to the beginning of settlement in the area. The first subscriptions for the building of a parish church were received in 1796. In 1801 the original wooden structure was completed, a building 30' x 34', comfortably accommodating some 60 people. The building was gutted by fire in 1836 but plans were already being made for a new church, indeed the cornerstone had been laid in 1835 and the original building sold, with the proviso that it might still be used for services until the new structure was completed.

The first service was celebrated in the new stone church on July 4, 1840. In the years between this and the burning of the old building a schoolroom had been used for services (adjacent to the present church). The building was subsequently expanded considerably from its original 45' x 60' dimensions and transepts were added.

Note: The above information is taken from a lengthy account of the early years by a former Rector of St. George's, Rev. George N. Luxton. This account may be found in full in the Anglican Church Histories. There is a parish history (1891) in file #2 at the end of the series of Registers.

I - List of Parish Registers

II - Index of Statistical Records

a) Baptisms

b) Confirmations

c) Marriages

d) Burials

III - Other Records

a) Vestry Minutes

b) Miscellaneous, Notes, etc.