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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, S ep te m be r 9, 20 21 | 10 The Town of Oakville is hoping to give two historic churches heritage designa- tions. The decision was made at the Aug. 17 Heritage Oak- ville Advisory Committee meeting, and would give certain protections under the Ontario Heritage Act to St. John's United Church (SJUC) and the cemetery of Knox Presbyterian Church Sixteen (KPCS). The Ontario Heritage Act gives municipalities the ability to award status to properties of historical significance. Designation can provide "a process to ensure the heritage attri- butes of a property are con- served over time." "It is the last old church building in Oakville to have any kind of protection un- der the Ontario Heritage Act," said George Chis- holm, chair of St. John's United Church property team. "We want to protect the building for future genera- tions. We want to prevent it from being knocked and having a condo tower put up," he added. "The church and ceme- tery have been used for their original purpose from the beginning -- as a place of worship and a place of worship and a place where the dead of the community could be buried and com- memorated," Rev. Patrick Gushue said about Knox Presbyterian Church Six- teen. Today, the neighbour- hood around Knox Presby- tarian Church Sixteen looks like your typical Greater Toronto Area sub- urb. One can easily miss the enormous historical significance of the area. KPCS, so named be- cause of the nearby Sixteen Mile Creek, was at the cen- tre of one of the oldest set- tlements in Oakville. The area went by many names: Sixteen Village, Sixteen Hollow or Proudfoot's Hol- low. The land was bought by the British from the Missis- saugas of the New Credit in 1806, part of the larger Trea- ty 14 purchase. They built a road, the future Dundas Street West, to connect York (now Toronto) and Hamilton. A man named George Chalmers arrived in 1825 in the area of where that original settlement was. Chalmers erected build- ings near Sixteen Mile Creek, but he over-extend- ed his finances and had to sell his properties to John Proudfoot in 1840, after whom Proudfoot's Hollow is named. The first form of the church was built in 1846 and was a central meeting place for the settlement. Proudfoot's wife, Mary, is buried in the KPCS's ceme- tery. Her grave is the oldest on the church property. The church itself already has a heritage designation. "Worship was central, but it was also a place of community," Gushue said. "It was, in a sense, the larg- est place where people could gather together and in one spot." There are two parts of SJUC that are up for heri- tage designation -- the main church building, as well as the adjoining Lusk Hall. The main church was built in 1877 for the Oakville Methodist Church, and Lusk Hall was added in 1923. "It is a well executed rep- resentative example of Gothic revival and the neo- Gothic revival architecture styles," Town of Oakville heritage planner Carolyn Van Sligtenhorst said at the committee meeting. The Gothic revival style was prevalent in Ontario from about 1830 to 1900. Whereas the neo-Gothic style, more associated with Lusk Hall, was popular in the 1900s. "It's also got a lot of heri- tage value for its associa- tion with the development of Oakville. Many signifi- cant citizens attended this church," Van Sligtenhorst added. Some of Chisholm's an- cestors were founding members of the Methodist Church in Oakville as well as attendees of the SJUC. "It is very important to me per- sonally that the church building be maintained," he said. TWO CHURCHES SET TO GET HERITAGE DESIGNATION MANSOOR TANWEER mtanweer@metroland.com St. John's United Church is one of two local churches expected to receive heritage destination. Mansoor Tanweer/Metroland NEWS Registra tion Learn h ow! Get active and creative using our new registration and booking system! Our new responsive site offers improved functionality and works from any device. Plus, you can now purchase memberships and search facility rentals online. Visit oakville.ca to learn more. Fall recreation & culture program registration is now open online! You must create a new account to access recreation and culture programs and services online.