Historic Sites of Manitoba: First Baptist Church / Knox Presbyterian Church / St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church (361 Russell Street, Brandon)

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Clerics | Photos & Coordinates | Sources

This wood frame Presbyterian church is believed to be the oldest church building in Brandon. Built in 1885 at the corner of Tenth Street and Princess Avenue as the home to First Baptist Church, it was moved sometime between 1904 and 1906 to the corner of Thirteenth Street and Van Horne Avenue where it became Knox Presbyterian Church. In 1910, it was moved to its present location on Russell Street to become St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church.

Starting in the fall of 1916, the facility was rented by the Brandon School District as overflow classroom space and known as St. Andrew’s School, with the school board providing its own fuel and a janitor. Its teachers were Miss Sharman (1916-1917) and Miss White (1918-1919), with the premises not seeing classroom use during the 1917-1918 school year. Need for the additional classroom space was ended in 1919 with the expansion of the Brandon Central School.

A pair of honour rolls inside the church commemorate parishioners who served and were killed in the First World War and Second World War.

Clerics (First Baptist)

Period	Cleric
1885-?	Rev. J. H. Best
?-1902	?
1902-1904	Rev. Robert R. McKay
After 1904	See First Baptist Church

Clerics (Knox Presbyterian)

Period	Cleric
1906	Mr. McIntosh
1906-1907	Rev. D. MacLeod
1908-1909	Rev. J. B. McLaren
1909-1910	Rev. George Edmison
After 1910	See Knox Presbyterian Church

Clerics (St. Andrew's Presbyterian)

Period	Cleric
1910-1911	Thomas Murphy
1911-1915	Rev. J. Knox Clarke
1915-1919	Rev. R. J. Savage
1919-1925	Rev. R. Paterson
1925-1930	Rev. J. J. Cowan
1931-1943	Rev. W. J. Allen
1944-1947	Rev. S. J. Lookman
1948	?
1949-1951	Rev. J. B. Fox
1952	?
1953-1960	Rev. J. B. Inglis
1964-1969	Rev. D. S. Paterson
1969-1971	Rev. J. E. Riddell
1972-1978	Rev. W. M. Barber
1979-1983	Rev. M. McNabb
1984	Rev. D. S. Wilson
1985-1991	Rev. V. Cottrill
1992-1999	Rev. M. Mullin
2000-2002	Rev. J. van Vliet
2003	?
2004-2012	Rev. Paul Sakasov
2013-?	Rev. Glenn Ball

Photos & Coordinates

St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Brandon (July 2019) Source: George Penner First World War Honour Roll in St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church at Brandon (April 2019) Source: Barb Andrew Second World War Honour Roll in St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church at Brandon (April 2019) Source: Barb Andrew Site Location (lat/long): N49.84396, W99.93578 denoted by symbol on the map above

First World War Casualties

Name	Occupation	Service	Rank	Birth Date	Death Date
Norman Graham	Fireman	13th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Private	18 July 1891	12 February 1919
Walter Alexander Hamilton [Armoury]	Farmer	8th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Private	9 March 1887	10 November 1917
William Henry McDonald [Armoury]	Bank Clerk	14th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Private	15 July 1890	26 September 1916
Alfred Christopher McLatchie MM [Armoury, Minto]	Brakeman	10th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Sergeant	5 November 1894	20 April 1918
Robert Wray	Wiper	11th Field Ambulance, Canadian Army Medical Corps	Private	2 May 1891	28 September 1918

Second World War Casualties

Name	Service	Rank	Birth Date	Death Date
Douglas Alexander Black	Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, Royal Canadian Infantry Corps	Private	27 November 1912	8 August 1944
Donald Hendry Manson [Brandon Collegiate]	582 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force	Pilot Officer	7 March 1918	6 July 1944
James Gordon Wilson Savage [Park Circle]	Royal Winnipeg Rifles, Royal Canadian Infantry Corps	Captain	1916	28 November 1944

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: First Baptist Church (1037 Lorne Avenue, Brandon)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Knox Presbyterian Church (1436 Victoria Avenue, Brandon)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: First Presbyterian Church (339 Twelfth Street, Brandon)

Doors Open Brandon

Sources:

“The City of Brandon’s magnificent churches,” Brandon Weekly Sun, 25 July 1907, page 43.

“Induction of new minister,” Brandon Weekly Sun, 9 January 1908, page 4.

“Extend call to Rev. Edmison,” Brandon Weekly Sun, 30 September 1909, page 19.

“Rev. George Edmison arrives November 1st,” Brandon Weekly Sun, 28 October 1909, page 4.

“The new pastor for St. Andrews,” Brandon Weekly Sun, 5 October 1911, page 21.

“St. Andrew's have grown rapidly since inception,” Brandon Weekly Sun, 16 October 1913, page 3.

“St. Andrews Church may be utilized as school for a time,” Brandon Weekly Sun, 29 September 1916, page 3.

“General city news [St. Andrews school],” Brandon Weekly Sun, 19 October 1916, page 7.

“Large attendance at,” Brandon Daily Sun, 11 September 1917, page 4.

“The School Board,” Brandon Daily Sun, 15 December 1917, page 27.

“Public schools,” Brandon Daily Sun, 30 August 1918, page 3.

“Changes in the teaching staff public schools,” Brandon Daily Sun, 2 September 1919, page 2.

History, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough, Barb Andrew, George Penner, and Nathan Kramer.

Page revised: 10 July 2022

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