Company Description

Our History:

The story of Beckwith Baptist Church begins with the arrival of the Scottish and Irish immigrants to Beckwith and Drummond Townships in the early 1800s. Although Baptists formed only a tiny minority in the tide of Presbyterian, Church of Scotland, or Anglican families that poured into Lanark County between 1816 and 1824, the Baptists cherished their autonomy and they did not give it up lightly. As soon as they received their land grants and built their log houses, Baptists were meeting in homes for worship. The stimulus for these little gatherings came from a man of sterling character and boundless energy, the Scottish Highland weaver Duncan McNab.

The Beckwith Baptist Church building celebrated its 150th anniversary in 1997. It was on the 7th of July, 1847 that the church's trustees bought the land on Lot 27, Concession 6 of Drummond Township. The log church that they built served the community well for many years, but was eventually abandoned and the church meetings were again held in the people's homes until 1907 when construction of the brick structure was begun. Part of the log building was moved to the property of Dalton Coleman's father William
it may be seen today in Dalton's sugar bush, about a mile and a half from the current Church building. The close fit and smooth inner surfaces of the huge logs attest to the care lavished on their house of worship by our Baptist forebears so many years ago.

The present church brick building was dedicated to the glory of God on the 14th of June 1908. (Photo coming soon.) The church remained active and steady through the 1920s. The '30s brought the great depression, with widespread unemployment and social unrest throughout the country, but the little congregation held to their purpose.

The '50s saw the bringing of electricity to the church building. A new woodstove was installed. Rug runners were donated and the building received a new coat of paint, inside and out. The church sheds, no longer needed as stables, were sold and a new woodshed was built. In the '50s Beckwith began paying a share of Lanark Baptist Church's parsonage expenses and the pastor's traveling expenses to Beckwith
and during the '60s Beckwith settled into a joint relationship with Lanark Baptist Church, the other area churches having pastors of their own or having closed their doors.

Sunday worship, picnics, Christmas concerts, baptisms, marriages, welcoming of new members, dedication of infants and twice-monthly Bible studies continued. The church began to take interest in its history. Pastor Robert Blewett assembled old documents to write his 1977 historical account and Earl and Cecil Coleman placed a wooden plaque on the site of the original log church building. (Photo coming soon.) The brick building was upgraded in the '70s by the installation of a new door, concrete front steps and an oil furnace
the latter a relief, no doubt, to the church firelighters.


The 1980s brought the building of the new church hall due largely to the encouragement of Pastor Blewett. The hall cost about $32,000. There was no mortgage. Activities began in the hall as soon as it was usable, and it was officially opened on the church's 134th anniversary on the 5th of July, 1981.

In September 1993 Lanark Baptist Church announced that they had decided to have their pastor serve full time at their own church, thus withdrawing from the pastoral relationship with Beckwith. From August 1994 until 2004 Beckwith was served by part-time pastors. In November 2004 the church called Rev. Fred Sommerville to serve full-time. During the '90s renovations to the front of the sanctuary took place, the front wooden facade being straightened and restored to its original form, but nearer the church wall, resulting in a larger raised pulpit area. The sanctuary floor was also leveled and reinforced. (Photos coming soon.)

In 1997 the church held celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the erection of the first building. A commemorative stone and plaque were placed on the site of the original log church.