Ghost Chapels

Not haunted,

Just closed…

It is the unfortunate reality of rural parishes that as the young people move away and farm operations must get bigger and bigger physically in order to survive, the churches close. No matter how well loved, no matter how integral to the community, small places of worship tend to slip away.

Grace Church, Bothwell, was the last within the Parish of the Transfiguration borders (but before establishment of the parish in its present configuration) to close. The building is gone; a modern funeral home stands on the lot. St Matthew’s has her pews, and shares with St John’s what few of her parishioners remained at closing. She’s in old copies of the local newspapers and likely pasted carefully in the local Tweedsmuir History. Here she is online – the story of her closing from the January 27, 1999, edition of The Spirit of Bothwell newspaper:

The Anglican churches in Clearville and Morpeth closed in the 1960s, remembers Allen Ure of Ridgetown. Clearville was torn down (its rectory stands) but Morpeth’s building is currently a private residence/business. Trinity Howard is a chapel of ease – not great ease, as it offers neither heat nor water… Allen expects there are people in the Ridgetown end of the parish who remember fondly and even have photos of those churches. He was right. Nichol’s Photography in Thamesville sent in this:

This is a photo of one of our sister Chapels - Trinity, Morpeth. It is no longer in use except for a memorial service yearly and of course, the cemetery is in use all year long. I believe it is called a Chapel of Ease … It is located on Talbot Trail in Howard Township just a few minutes east of the village of Morpeth.

–Marney Nichols

Are there other “ghost chapels” within our parish borders? Send any information you have on these or those listed above to adenkers @mnsi.net (close the space between the s and the @ when you do).

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