Description of Historic Place

The Princetown United Church is a white Gothic Revival style structure located in the Village of Malpeque, PEI. The accompanying grounds are spacious and tree lined. A memorial statue to the casualties of the wars is located near the church. The designation includes the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

The Princetown United Church was designated because of its well preserved Gothic Revival architectural elements and because of its association with the early history of Presbyterianism in PEI. The area of Princetown (named for the future George IV) was originally assigned to be the capital of Prince County by Samuel Holland in his 1765 map of St. John's Island (PEI). However, the townsite never developed and the former Mi'kmaq and Acadian name of Malpeque became more common.

From this point onward, Princetown/Malpeque became the focal point for visiting missionaries to the area. On June 30, 1770, the Rev. William Drummond became the first Presbyterian missionary to hold services in the community. In 1791, the Rev. James MacGregor of Pictou, NS spent three weeks in the area ministering to the people. By 1794, a crude log church had been built about three quarters of a mile NW of the location of the present church.

A permanent congregation with a resident minister was established in 1800 by the Rev. John Urquhart who was also from the Pictou Presbytery. In 1808, the Princetown congregation was served by the Rev. John Keir who had arrived from Scotland. During his term, the log church was hauled to the present site and refurbished.

By 1869-70, this primitive structure was replaced by the present Gothic Revival building at a cost of $1800. The church became affiliated with the United Church of Canada in 1925.

Source: PEI Heritage Advisory Committee Files

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the Princetown United Church is exemplified in its Gothic Revival elements which include:
- the overall massing of the building with its corner finials
- the gabled roof with sculpted bargeboards
- the lancet windows on the facade, tower, and side elevations
- the refurbished 111 foot high steeple with weather vane which was replaced in 1984 after being removed in 1959
- the location of the church near a tree lined cemetery and community war memorial