After five years of work, the light is at the end of the tunnel for the Craigmyle Historic Society.
The Craigmyle Historic (formerly United) Church, after a recent decision by the Starland County Council, is one step closer to being named a heritage resource once again.
At the May 29 meeting of the Starland Council, CAO Ross Rawlusyk gave a report on a proposed new bylaw that would designate the church a Municipal Heritage Resource as per section 26 of the Historical Resources Act. The bylaw passed its first reading.
The status of the church as a heritage resource has had a rocky history according to Craigmyle Historic Society chair, Bev Bergman.
“In 1993 it was declared a historic resource by Alberta Historic Resources Foundation. After it was designated, it became a source of pride for the community. About five years ago, the province changed their system of designation and it wasn’t a heritage resource anymore,” said Bergman.
Since losing the designation, the Craigmyle Historic Society has worked to have the church named a heritage resource once again.
The church was built on its current site in 1915 as a Methodist Church. In 1925 it became a United Church. By 2004, attendance had declined to the point where regular services were not held. The church was managed by the Craigmyle Church Women until 2007 when the Craigmyle Historic Society stepped up to look after the building.
“In 2008 the Craigmyle Historic Society approached the United Church about ownership of the building. By this time there were no regular services and the building was about to become a derelict building. The community wanted to maintain it,” said Bergman.
In 2010 the church came into possession of the Craigmyle Historic Society and they set to work improving and restoring the building. The philosophy behind the improvements being the building is historic, but still a part of the modern community. For example, the basement was renovated starting in 2008 and now serves as a community resource centre.
“The community has worked hard through fundraising and grants. We’ve turned the basement into a community resource centre. There’s a need for it. It’s the only place in our community open year round,” said Bergman.
The church is used for several services during the year, funerals, baptisms, and weddings.
With designation as a heritage resource, the Craigmyle Historic Society could have access to funding that would allow more restoration to take place. However, as part of being a heritage resource, the restorations must be historically authentic. There are already some projects in mind.
“Our mandate when we organized, was to restore the historic elements of the church,” said Bergman. “We want to restore the windows in the sanctuary. According to the Historical Resources Foundation, those windows are unique. From my research, these windows were one of the hallmarks of Methodist architecture.”
The approval for the designation is now in the hands of the provincial government in Edmonton. Once approved, the church will officially become a heritage resource.
“We’ve put the proposal to first reading, so the approval could then be made in Edmonton,” said Starland Reeve Barrie Hoover. “It’s important because it preserves one of the historic buildings in our county.”
To the residents of Craigmyle, the church in their eyes is, and has been for many years, a part of their heritage.
“We’re quite proud it marks a part of our history,” said Bergman.
