Link to:
Clerics | Photos & Coordinates | Sources
Built in 1889 as Balmoral Methodist Church, in Balmoral in the Rural Municipality of Rockwood, the wood-frame church was raised by the district’s Methodist congregation.
In the 1870s, Methodists in the area met for worship in members’ homes, served by ministers of the Stonewall Circuit. In 1877, a small church was built on land offered by John Peden (NE1/4-2-15-1E), and in 1884 it was moved into Balmoral. As the congregation grew, trustees began planning a larger building. They bought a half-acre from George Hyde in 1886 and an adjoining quarter-acre from Jane Kuhn in 1889. A $1,000 mortgage financed construction and was repaid a decade later.
The church was built in the summer of 1889 by contractors Mr. Hiel and Mr. Lowry, with stonemason and plasterer Joseph Howsam and many volunteers. It measured 45 feet by 30 feet and stood on a fieldstone foundation. Its pointed Gothic windows, spire topped with a hand-forged weathervane, and “gingerbread” trim are typical of the style architectural historians call Protestant Gothic Revival. A dedication service was held on 3 November 1889 and the first wedding inside took place on 2 December 1889.
It became Balmoral United Church following the 1925 unification of the Methodist, Congregational, and Presbyterian faiths in Canada. The building was altered several times over the years. The main door was moved from the east to the south wall of the front porch in 1917, and a basement and north porch were added in 1922. Electricity was installed in 1948. Damaged by two lightning strikes and a small fire, the steeple was removed on 20 July 1963, and the weathervane was preserved.
A shed stood beside the church by 1917 when horse and buggy was the mode of transportation. A new shed was built north of the church in the mid-1930s. By 1950, the shed was little used and badly in need of repair, and in 1955 it was sold and moved off the property.
In 1960, Balmoral joined the Teulon Pastoral Charge. In 1986-1987, the congregation built a new wood basement just east of the church and had the building moved onto it by A. B. Reimer and Sons Building Movers of Arborg. A new porch and rear addition were also built. Local fundraising of $24,000 was supplemented by a $3,000 grant and a $19,000 loan from the United Church of Canada. A re-dedication service was held on 1 March 1987.
Period
Cleric
1884-1886
Rev. J. A. Jackson
1886-1887
Rev. A. B. Hames
1887-1890
Rev. R. B. Laidly
1891-1892
Rev. P. W. Davies
1892-1896
Rev. O. Darwin
1897-1899
Rev. J. A. McClung
1899-1902
Rev. D. M. Kennedy
1902-1905
Rev. F. A. Buckley
1906-1910
Rev. T. G. Bethel
1910-1914
Rev. J. H. Burrow
1914-1918
Rev. R. E. McCullagh
1918-1922
Rev. W. H. C. Leech
1923-1925
Rev. J. E. Lane
1925-1927
Rev. J. B. McLaren
1927-1928
Rev. Gilbert S. Curtis
1928-1929
Rev. T. W. Bailey
1929-1931
Rev. N. R. Wright
1931-1934
Rev. J. Edgar Clarke
1934-1935
Rev. G. A. Austin
1935
Rev. Dr. Scott
1935-1937
Rev. Donald MacTavish
1937-1940
Rev. L. L. Meech
1940-1941
Rev. J. F. H. Barber
1941-1947
Rev. C. D. Rupp
1947-1948
Rev. Ian Kemlo
1948-1957
Rev. Joseph Wiznuk
1957-1959
Rev. R. F. McPherson
1960
Rev. R. C. Matthews
1960-1963
Rev. N. C. MacIntosh
1963-1965
Rev. K. C. Henders
1965-1972
Rev. Joseph Redpath
1972-?
Rev. D. Kilpatrick
Balmoral United Church on its original stone foundation (1966)
Source: Archives of Manitoba
Balmoral United Church (July 2010)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
Balmoral United Church (September 2017)
Source: George Penner
Balmoral United Church (July 2024)
Source: Rose Kuzina
Balmoral United Church (June 2024)
Source: Milan LukesSite Coordinates (lat/long): N50.25649, W97.31776
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Victoria Presbyterian Church / Victoria United Church and Cemetery (Wavy Bank, RM of Rockwood)
Marriage registration [Charles Thomas Hancock, Nellie Clifford], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
100 Years of History: Rockwood Municipality by Rockwood Municipality History, 1982, page 85.
Balmoral United Church: One Hundred Years, 1889-1989, Stonewall, Manitoba: Interlake Graphics, 1989.
We thank George Penner and Rose Kuzina for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough and Milan Lukes.
Page revised: 18 October 2026
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