Located in the heart of the former Village of Harvey, the St. James Church changed hands a number of times. The initial structure was called the St. James Presbyterian Church and was built in 1893 by Thomas Robison, William Embleton and James Patterson on land donated by Marshall and Mary Robison. A dedication of the new church took place on Sunday, June 6, 1896. In 1927, following the amalgamation of some protestant faiths, it became the St. James United Church. It was later sold to the Baptist Church and later still, sold once again to a privately owned small business.
To commemorate the St James Church, the St James Room was established at St Andrews United Church in Harvey. The stain glass windows from St James Church now reside in that room.
Some facts about the church provided by Helen Craig:
- The church was named for the Presbyterian clergyman at the time, Rev. James A. McLean.
- It was sometimes referred to as the the Second Presbyterian Church.
- The land for the church was donated by Marshall and Mary Robison on April 20, 1893.
At some point, the steeple was removed revealing a small triangular piece of wood was found with their names and dated October 4, 1893. The board has been contained in a box with a glass door and keep in the door of the santuary of the church.
Newspaper clipping: Harvey Station, N.B. June 9, 1896
Formal Opening of the New Presbyterian Church for Worship.
On Sunday, June 7th the new Presbyterian Church at Harvey Station was formally opened for worship. The inception of this Church was in the minds of the ladies of the Harvey Station Sewing Circle about six years ago. Since then they have striven towards this object and now they have an enduring monument of their energy. The Church has been erected at a cost of nearly $2,000 and there remains on it only about $200 of debt.The main building is 20 feet by 45 feet with an end for the choir of 8 feet. To it, -every way the building is a credit to the place and people and compares favorably with any country church in this Province and also with many city churches.
For more information about the St James Churches read From The Scrapbook: Building The First Presbyterian Church by Rev. Bill Randall.
Sources: Harvey Heritage archive, Janet Watson, Tim Patterson, and Bert Matheson.