The Stewart Memorial Church is

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

’s oldest Black congregation. It was established in the 1830s as St. Paul's African Methodist Episcopalian Church, and moved to its current site on John Street in 1879 after its original location on Rebecca Street was destroyed by a fire.

History

Abolitionist

Josiah Henson Josiah Henson (June 15, 1789 – May 5, 1883) was an author, abolitionist, and minister. Born into slavery, in Port Tobacco, Charles County, Maryland, he escaped to Upper Canada (now Ontario) in 1830, and founded a settlement and laborer's sch ...

, who inspired

Harriet Beecher Stowe Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe (; June 14, 1811 – July 1, 1896) was an American author and Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist. She came from the religious Beecher family and wrote the popular novel ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'' (185 ...

's novel

Uncle Tom's Cabin ''Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly'' is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in two Volume (bibliography), volumes in 1852, the novel had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans ...

, was the church's first pastor. One of the most prominent figures in the history of Stewart Memorial Church was the Reverend John Christie Holland. Holland played a major role in keeping the church open when the congregation was faced with financial difficulties during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

. In 1937 the church decided to sever ties with the African Methodist Episcopal body. This resulted in the formation of a non-denominational church, renamed in commemoration of the previous reverend, Claude A. Stewart. Since its establishment, the church has served a central role in Hamilton's Black community, providing various social, cultural and religious programming. Prominent members of the church have included

Ray Lewis Raymond Anthony Lewis Jr. (born May 15, 1975) is an American former professional football player who spent his entire 17-year career as a linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football f ...

, the first Canadian-born black Olympic medalist, and

Lincoln Alexander Lincoln MacCauley Alexander (January 21, 1922 – October 19, 2012) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who became the first Black Canadian to be a Member of Parliament (Canada), member of Parliament in the House of Commons of Canada, House o ...

, former

Lieutenant Governor of Ontario The lieutenant governor of Ontario (, in French: ''Lieutenant-gouverneur'' (if male) or ''Lieutenante-gouverneure'' (if female) ''de l'Ontario'') is the representative in Ontario of the monarch, who operates distinctly within the province but i ...

and Canada's first non-white Member of Parliament. In 1994, the property was designated an Ontario Heritage Site. Around this time, the congregation was observed as entirely elderly as few young native-born Black Hamiltonians chose to remain in the city - citing racism and a lack of opportunities.

References

{{Reflist History of Black people in Canada Designated heritage properties in Ontario Religious buildings and structures completed in 1879 19th century in Hamilton, Ontario Churches in Hamilton, Ontario Black Canadian organizations 19th-century churches in Canada