The Auld Kirk Church and Cemetery

The early settlers of the 1820s from Ireland and Scotland brought their bibles and religion with them. They met in different homes before any buildings were erected as churches.  The ancestors of the Hamiltons and Aiken drew the stone for this church in 1829 and 1830 from the Huntley area by wagon and sleigh; they had the determination to fulfill a dream of accomplishment. It was constructed from 1835 to 1836 in an early form of Gothic Revival architecture on land obtained from James Mitchell, one of the township's earliest settlers. It ceased to be used as a church in January of 1864 when a new church was opened in Almonte; however, the cemetery continues to be used.  The church, long unused, was restored in 1938 when JB Ilingworth was Chairman of the Cemetery Committee.  The high pulpit and seats were brought from the Pakenham Church.  A stone floor was laid, a vault installed, windows and doors restored, and a fence and gate installed.

 

The cemetery here is one of the most interesting and beautiful cemeteries in the area. Many of the old stones have been repaired and reset.