The old church in the cemetery across from Polo Park Shopping Centre is not just a quaint place to visit, it is also an important piece of Winnipeg’s (and Manitoba’s) history. It is from this church that the community developing around it took its name.

​

The Parish of St. James was founded June 17, 1851 when the Hudson Bay Company gave the Diocese of Rupert's Land a provisional land grant. The military pensioners, retired HBC personnel, and the next generation of the original Selkirk Settlers, who lived west of the junction of the two rivers ("The Forks"), had petitioned the Diocese to build a place of worship near them ... the 'Upper Church' (St John's Cathedral) was too far to travel to every Sunday. Early notes indicated that the land grant extended for seven miles along the Assiniboine River, but according to the maps it actually started four miles from the Forks,  and it covered 284.4 acres.

​

Rev. W. H. Taylor was the first rector and is the person who gave the name of St. James to the new parish, in the district of Assiniboia. (Read about Saint James the Apostle. )

​

The site of the church is reputedly 'an ancient Indigenous Burial Ground', but we have found no actual records of this. Considering that the spot was recommended by the local Indigenous People, we don't believe that they would have done this if the land was already being used for such a sacred purpose.

 

This spot was partly chosen because there was a ford nearby, allowing people living on the south side of the Assiniboine River to cross over, and it was recommended by the First Nations and Métis parishioners: this high point had never been flooded. In fact, during the great flood of 1852, settlers camped here to escape the waters, and the rectory that had already been built acted as a refuge for others. The original timbers were washed away, and new lumber had to be rafted down from Baie St. Paul (near Portage la Prairie), to be hand-hewn and fitted into place by volunteers from the parish, both Indigenous and settler. When the church had been built, and was ready for use (1855), the HBC gave the Diocese the Deed to the land.

​

Originally, there was a tower at the front of the church, but it was removed in 1871 due to structural problems with its foundation. During the ‘Riel Rebellion’ of 1869-70, it had been used as a Watch Tower from which riders could be seen approaching from Portage la Prairie to attempt to free Riel’s prisoners. 

​

This original church served as the centre of parish life until November 26, 1922 when the new church opened. In 1936 the Heritage Church was condemned; annual services were held on the cemetery grounds to fulfill the spirit of the original land grant and to keep the ground as an ecclesiastic site. The City of St. James and the parish restored the building in 1967, as a Canadian Centennial project, and it was re-dedicated on June 21, 1967. ( For the many visitors who’ve been asking: restoration mainly involved the structure beneath the church, to make the foundation sound, as well as general repairs and appearance. The ceiling and the hardwood floors are ‘original’ in that they were added as improvements while the church was still in use, in Victorian times, probably around the turn of the 19th-20th centuries.)

 

The church has been subjected to arson with the most recent major fire in October 1999. Fire officials indicated that the church survived because the solid oak logs were too thick to burn quickly, allowing time for the fire department to arrive after 911 was called, and to save the church. As a result, they were only charred on the outside (and now covered over with new siding). Insurance covered extensive roof repair and some log repair on the south side.

​

The Heritage Church was designated a Provincial Heritage Site on June 25, 1978 (and again in 1998 as the government updated its system. In 2019, it was added to the Historical Resource list of the City of Winnipeg.

​

Heritage Church hosts our services every summer, welcoming visitors always. For our opening service, every second year, we dress in period clothing (see Brenda's photo below). In 2010, a talented group of volunteers started holding weekly Concerts in the Cemetery throughout the summer, and in 2011, we joined Doors Open Winnipeg for a weekend in May, winning the Hidden Treasure award! And we have celebrated our Indigenous–settler connection by holding an evening service on June 21, National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada.

​

​

Summer of 2020 was the first in 5 decades that our Heritage Church held no services ... spatial distancing would keep our parishioners and visitors safe, but the wooden pews are over 130 years old, and the logs 170+... we didn't know what sanitizer would do to their surfaces, so we had to keep our building safe, too! We hoped to open for 2021 summer services, but that was still not feasible ... we did open for biweekly services summer 2022 ... yay! And also returned to participate in  Doors Open Winnipeg that year.