Historic Sites of Manitoba: Beresford Methodist Church / Beresford United Church (Beresford, RM of Whitehead)

Link to:
Clerics | Photos & Coordinates | Sources

The original Beresford Methodist Church, a wood frame structure situated at Beresford in the Rural Municipality of Whitehead, was built during the summer of 1891 and dedicated at a service on 3 November 1891. The church was part of the Kemnay Mission and the cleric resided at Kemnay. In April 1902, the building was destroyed by fire. Construction of a modest brick replacement commenced during the early summer of 1903 by Brandon builder George Hurd. When Hurd went bankrupt, the skeletal building was completed by the parishioners in mid-1904.

In 2007, the former church building was purchased by a Brandon resident and renovated for use as a music venue.

Clerics

Period	Cleric
1891-1892	Rev. Morgan
1892-1893	Chancellor Teeter (1849-1942)
1893-1896	John William Ridd (1865-1955)
1896-1898	Benjamin Wilson Allison (1870-1953)
1898-1899	L. D. Post
1899-1902	W. E. Egan
1902	James Adam McClung (1837-1916)
1902-1903	Herbert Taylor
1903-1904	T. Jackson Wray
1904-1907	John Linton
1907-1908	W. J. Hancock
1908-1911	J. G. Fallis
1911-1913	R. S. Jones
1913	L. Hadfield
1913-1919	Leslie L. Meech
1919-1920	Rev. Sallen
1920-1921	Rev. Bone
1921-1926	A. W. Churchill
1926-1930	B. M. Thackery
1930-1931	J. B. Pearson
1931-1935	Frederick Letts
1935-1938	James Savage
1938-?	Albert Edward Weaver (1877-1967)
?-1947	R. F. Hunter
1947-1957	Several temporary clerics
1957-1959	Victor Sangwine
1959	C. L. Barbour

Photos & Coordinates

Aerial view of the church at Beresford (1990s) Source: Manitoba Pool Fonds, S. J. McKee Archives, Brandon University Beresford United Church (June 1967) Source: Archives of Manitoba, Architectural Survey, Beresford. The former Beresford United Church building (July 2012) Source: Gordon Goldsborough The former Beresford United Church building (June 2021) Source: Rose Kuzina Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.72892, W100.19526 denoted by symbol on the map above

Sources:

Beresford Church, 1890-1965: History by Wilmott McComb (1891-1982), 1965. [Legislative Library of Manitoba, F5649.B47 Ber]

Obituary [Wilmott McComb], Brandon Sun, 4 October 1982, page 39.

“‘Humbled by the space’: Manitoba musician turns derelict church into music venue,” CBC News, 24 September 2017.

We thank Riley Laychuk and Rose Kuzina for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 20 March 2023

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