King Street United Church

In 1857, the Bible Christian Church congregation was established. The meetings were first held in the Sons of Temperance Hall, and the first minister of whom there is record was Reverend John Pinch.

In 1863, a church was constructed on the north side of Metcalfe Street. This church was altered throughout the years as the congregation grew. Eventually, the congregation had outgrown the Metcalfe site, and, at the same time, industry in the form of the Pedlar People Factory was encroaching on its land.

It was decided to secure a new site, and in 1912, the cornerstone was laid for a new and larger church at King and Charles Streets. A few months later, the King Street Church was completed and formally dedicated. The congregation at the time put their heart and soul into the project; the ladies aid society and women of the congregation under the direction of Mrs. O. J. Clatworthy raised thousands of dollars towards paying for a new structure.

During the years that followed the congregation continued to grow. In 1922, the church and Sunday school were renovated. In 1924, the organ was rebuilt, and a set of chimes installed. The church hall was completed and facilities provided for the social life of the congregation.

In 1925, when Reverend C. W. R. DeMille took over as pastor, the congregation passed into the fellowship of the United Church.

After the Second World War, the church installed a new organ and re-established the choir. A memorial plaque was unveiled by Lt. Col. Murray Johnston. In the centennial year of the church, 1957, a new Parish Hall and Sunday school building was built, thereby widening the scope of its facilities for serving it growing congregation.

On January 24, 1966, Eunice Tane, the church’s secretary, discovered a fire in the church about 8:40 AM. There were around 80 firefighters who battled the blaze, but ultimately the damage was too great. The church was gutted by the fire, destroying records as well.

There had been six or seven small fires in church in the month leading up to the final blaze, and the Fire Marshall was called in to investigate the cause.

After the fire, Rev. Wesley Herbert was quoted as saying “All we have lost is the building—the church is still the people.” The congregation decided to move to a new location at the corner of Adelaide Avenue East and Wilson Road, which became the Kingsview United Church.

With information from

T. E. Kaiser, Historic Sketches of Oshawa, 93-96.

Oshawa Times, 24 Jan 1966.

Oshawa Times, 25 Jan 1966, p. 11.

Oshawa Times, 26 Jan 1966, p. 25.