Hawley Church 2010
The History The church at Hawley was situated at South Fredericksburgh Township, Concession 2, Part of Lot 23, on what is known today as County Road 22. It was built in 1870-71 by the Bethel Congregation of the Wesleyan Methodist Church. The opening services took place on February 26, 1871. The land, ‘donated’ by the Bristol and Fretts families, was transferred in 1874. The church was closed by the Kingston Presbytery in 1967. The Hawley Women’s Institute continued to use the building until it was finally sold in the early 2000s. The building is still standing today, privately owned.
The Deeds Part 1 - May 29 1874 James Fretts & Caroline Fretts [his wife] Trustees of the Bethel Congregation of the Wesleyan Methodist Church: George Asselstine, Peter Bristol, James Fretts, John W. Bristol, Henry Huffman, Alexander Ross, Charles Willett Huffman 1.00 – 6.600 Square Feet Composed of part of the west half of lot number 23 in the second concession of the township of Fredericksburgh, commencing on the line between the east and west halves of said lot number 23 at the intersection of the public road now running across said lot thence westerly along the south side of said public road sixty feet, thence southerly, parallel with the western limits of said lot one hundred and ten feet, thence in an easterly direction parallel with the said road sixty feet more or less to the line running between the East and west halves of said lot 23, thence in a northerly direction along said line between East and West half of said lot one hundred and ten feet more or less to the place of beginning. To build a church and other buildings to permit building to be used as a church by the Wesleyan Methodists Part 2 – May 30 1874 Peter Bristol & Mattie Bristol [his wife] Trustees of the Bethel Congregation of the Wesleyan Methodist Church: George Asselstine, James Fretts, Peter Bristol, John w. Bristol, Henry Huffman, Alexander Ross, Charles Willett Huffman 1.00 – 1,000 Square Feet Commencing on the line between the East and west halves of said lot number 23 at the intersection of the public road now running across said lot, thence easterly, along the south side of the said public road, seventy feet, thence southerly, parallel with the western limit of said lot one hundred feet, thence in a westerly direction parallel with the said road seventy feet to the line between the east and west halves of said lot number 23, thence in a a northerly direction along said line between the east and west halves of said lot one hundred feet to the place of beginning.
Meacham’s 1878 Atlas showing the Hawley Church
March 8 1871 Christian Guardian	September 1924 Kingston Daily Standard November 1929 Napanee Beaver December 1837 Napanee Beaver
Hawley Church with Steeple Early 1900s	Hawley Church After Closing Used by Women’s Institute
	Women’s Institute Banner
East Side of Hawley Church	Interior – Gallery after closure
A Rural Church Dies but the Faith Continues June 30 1967 Kingston Whig Standard “We are here to mark the last moments of a dying church,” said Rev. John Neal of Bath, as he preached the last sermon to be preached in the pulpit of Hawley United church last Sunday. “We must ask,” he continued, “why did it have to die?’ “We are living in a convulsive time. Bible reading in the home is disappearing, the prayer meeting has gone. The evening service is almost gone. We have heard that God is dead, the virgin birth never occurred, that Christ never died and rose again. We are told to forget words such as “Heaven.” The neat brick church at Hawley between Bath and Napanee was crowded; even the gallery was filled on three sides for this commemorative service. Families who had worshipped in the church for three, even four generations, were in the pews in family groups, some from long distances. There were former members and adherents from Kingston, Ottawa, Toronto and Belleville, with many from nearby places like Melrose and Odessa. The congregation seemed subdued, a little bewildered. Yet later, when all shared a picnic dinner on the grounds, there was friendly renewal of acquaintances, cheerful acceptance of the facts of their loss. During the early part of the service, sun flooded the little church, with its Gothic arched windows, the design repeated on the polished wood surrounding the gallery, it shone on the rose carpet of the chancel and the matching chancel chairs, picked up the brilliant colours of the Jonassen murals which dominates the chancel. The chancel, rebuilt in 1956, gives the church an attractively modern appearance. On Sunday, the colours of the Jonassen figure of Christ, vivid blues and purple, with brilliant white, were picked up in the baskets of flowers flanking the picture. The rose tones of the chancel were repeated by fragrant rose peonies. Clayton Fretts, a lifelong member of the church, told its story from the chancel. The early part of the story is still unwritten history. It is known that there was a Methodist congregation around Hawley and that the Bath Circuit, to which Hawley later belonged, was formed in 1845. But it was not until 1856 that Hawley is listed as a preaching appointment. The church, which closed last Sunday was built in the years 1870-71. The Christian Guardian of February and March, 1871, describes the opening services. One of the guest preachers was Rev. M.L. Pearson, of Odessa. His distinguished grandson’s letter of regret that he could not be present was read to the congregation last Sunday. The Christian Guardian describes the building aptly, and the description still fits. “The church is a neat brick building, in Gothic style, 30 x 44, with well-proportioned tower and steeple and gallery on three sides.” One feature of Hawley Church opening in 1871 was a lecture on the Holy Land, a lecture which lasted two and a half hours. A tea meeting and volunteer subscriptions added to the “handsome sum” of $1,100 raised during the opening ceremonies. On Sunday, the day of its closing, there were two families present who had worshipped for four generations in Hawley Church, the Cuthills and the Huycks. Besides this there were at least a dozen families present whose members had worshipped there for three generations. Why did Hawley Church have to close its doors? It is one of 48 churches in Belleville Presbytery to be amalgamated this year. The pastor, Mr. Neal, tried to find some of the answers. He pointed out that in a United Church population of 3,000,000 in Canada, only 67 candidates have been ordained for the ministry this year. Two hundred were needed. His closing advice to his congregations, many of whom will now attend Bath church was “Stand among the sweeping winds of change and cling tenaciously to Him who never changes. You may lose your church but you cannot lose Christ unless you choose to do so.” Unlike other neighbouring churches, Hawley will not be torn down. Present plans are to have it used by a newly formed Women’s Institute group, said Mrs. Clarence Parks.