Friday 12 October 2018

Drinkwater United Church


The long abandoned United Church in Drinkwater, Saskatchewan . . . and a friendly cat.  The original church dates back to 1911 with a few ill conceived additions in later years.







During my visit I met one of the neighbours and guess what he had? A commemorative plate celebrating the seventy-fifth anniversary of the church.  The image on the plate shows how the church appeared in its glory days. Thank you, kind sir.


- Michael Truman

5 comments:

  1. That's an odd symbol on top of the steeple for a Christian church. A crescent moon and star seems more Islamic.

    And where's the photo of the cat???

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The cat is in the first photo, framed between the two white fence posts on the right and in front of the blue recycling bin.

      The steeple decoration is very unusual for a Christian church. I have no idea why it was chosen but it is attractive in an exotic way...not what one would expect to find on the Saskatchewan prairie. Must look fascinating and mysterious with a full moon behind it.

      Delete
    2. Oh yes, I see the cat now, thanks! The odd symbol on top of the steeple made me wonder if the church had been "de-commissioned" as a Christian church at the end of its years and then served as a mosque? The original "Little Mosque on the Prairie"?

      Delete
  2. I have a church plate with the identical church in AL. It is where I went to church. The addition at the front certainly spoils the aesthetics of the building.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I grew up there and never thought about the addition looking out of place but of course it does take away from the esthetics. The church closed as a united church and never was used again in any significant manner. It was not a mosque. I heard someone comment on the steeple decoration in the 1980s. I think that the front porch was probably added in the 1950s when most of these buildings moved away from coal as a source for heat. Switching to gas or diesel fuel did not supply enough BTUs to heat these old buildings. It is unfortunate that you were not advised to go about a kilometer north to the cemetery where there is a very well done tribute to the church. It is distressing to see the building subject to the elements.

    ReplyDelete