Site of St. Andrews Presbyterian Church

Site of St. Andrews Presbyterian Church. . , Construction of St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, later affectionately referred to as the Auld Kirk (Old Church), was begun on this site in 1833. Construction was not completed until 1835, delayed by the onset of the cholera epidemic of 1834 that claimed the lives of almost 20 percent of Galt's population., The founding Minister of the congregation was Rev. William Stewart, sent as a missionary to Galt in 1831 by the Church of Scotland. He was succeeded, in 1835, by Rev. John Bayne who was soon to become a leading force in a movement to sever all connections between the Presbyterian Church of Canada and the established Church of Scotland. At a synod of the Canadian Presbyterian Church, held in Kingston in 1844, Rev. Bayne became the guiding light to a group within the church who were disturbed by the direct interference by British State authorities in the affairs of the Church of Scotland., The majority of the congregation of St. Andrews Church supported Rev. Bayne's position and, with him, left the Auld Kirk in July 1844 to form Knox's Presbyterian Church. The remaining members of the St. Andrews congregation continued on this site until 1880 when they agreed to join the Union Presbyterian Church to form Central Presbyterian Church., This union was not without its opponents and a few dissenters were determined that the “departing brethren” would not get the old church bell that had called the members of St. Andrews' congregation to services since the church was built. In the dark of night the bell was removed and hidden not to surface again until sometime in the 1890's when it was presented without fanfare, to Knox's Presbyterian Church where it remains to this day., St. Andrews Church was demolished in 1889.