2464 Dundas Street, RR #1 | 905-336-5164
Year Built: 1839
Services: Sunday
Historic Churches
Burlington Ontario has several lovely historic churches which you can visit and join in their church services.
Knox Presbyterian Church
461 Elizabeth Street | 905 333.3013
Year built: 1845
Church services: Sunday 10:30 am
History: In 1845 Andrew Gage (the son of Burlington’s founder, James Gage) donated a swath of land, in order to facilitate the construction of a church. The initial structure was very small and by 1877 a larger church was needed. Consequently, the original church was moved to the back of the lot, in order to serve as a Sunday school. Later, the two structures were bricked and attached. The current structure boasts 12 unique stained glass windows imported from Scotland.
Nelson United Church
2437 Dundas St. West | 905 335.9394
Year built: 1859
Church services: Sunday 11:00 am
History:
Nelson United’s history extends back to the first settlers in Nelson Township, which is the present-day city of Burlington. In 1809 Moses McCay received the patent to 200 acres of land, and in 1830 he sold one acre to the Trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church. At this time, a small frame church with a gallery was built. In 1854, David Springer bought 100 acres and sold half an acre to the Trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1859, the current stone church was built, and one year later a Sunday school was built to meet the needs of the expanding congregation.
Holy Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church
419 Pine Street | 905-634-6598
Year built: 1861
Church services: Sunday 9:00 am in Ukrainian, 10:30 am in English
Lowville United Church
5800 Guelph Line | 905 335.0911
Year built: 1872
Church services: Sunday 9:30 am
History:
Joseph Colling, the first farmer in the Lowville area, donated his land to the church in 1846. Prior to the construction of the church, services were held in a school on the north-east corner of Britannia Road and Guelph Line, and in a frame building on the present site, which was later replaced with the current brick structure. At that time it was named the Colling Church, and in 1855, it became the Lowville Wesleyan Methodist Church. It became one of 25 churches in the Nelson circuit. The present church was built in 1872 from orange bricks from the Bronte area.
Paroisse Saint Philippe Roman Catholic Church
472 Locust St. | 905 634.1743
Year Built: 1875
Church Services: Saturday 7 pm & Sunday 9 and 11 am Masses, French only
Built-in 1875 by James Cushie Bent, this church was purchased in 1968 by the Roman Catholic Church to serve the local francophone congregation as the Église Saint-Philippe. The church blends a simple Gothic revival style – evident in the Gothic-arched windows and door – with an Italianate square tower with bull’s-eye windows.
St. John’s Anglican Church
History:
This is the second oldest Anglican Church in Burlington, was founded in 1835 though worship has taken place in the present building since 1839. Though St. Luke’s, Wellington Square was established in 1834, the people who had settled in the Nelson area found that travelling to the more southerly parish over the rough and muddy roads was inconvenient at best. Joseph Ireland, William Spence and John Wettenhall successfully petitioned the Bishop of Quebec (who spent half of each year in Toronto) for a local church. In 1835 the first service was held in an old schoolhouse which was located near the present rectory building.
St. Luke’s Anglican Church
1382 Ontario Street | 905 634.1826
Year built: 1834
Church services:
Summer- Sunday 8:15 am, 10:00 am; Wednesday 10:00 am
Winter- Sunday 8:15 am, 9:30 am, 11:15 am; Wednesday 10:00 am
History:
Surrounded by stained glass windows and beautiful carvings, St. Luke’s is the oldest church in Burlington.
It was originally built in 1834 and later consecrated in 1838. St. Luke’s is built on the land which was originally given to Joseph Brant, the famous Aboriginal leader, for his services during the American Revolution. Joseph Brant left the land to his daughter, Elizabeth, and she donated it for the construction of St. Luke’s.
In its over 180 years St. Luke’s has had only ten Rectors, many who went on to become Bishops, and many who are buried in the church’s cemetery.
A Self-Guided Walking Tour Handout is available in the Parish Hall for a donation. A Historical Tour of Burlington handout, through Heritage Burlington, may also be picked up in the Parish Hall, Tourism Burlington or Burlington City Hall.
