The Union Point United Church and its cemetery are the last built features that remain on the original site of the former Union Point settlement in the Rural Municipality of Morris. Founded by Ontario settlers in 1868, Union Point had a post office, school, general store, grain elevator, cheese factory, and town hall. Its name was based on its location as a junction for steamboats, steam trains, and stage coaches using it as a stopping point for provisions as there was a large sandbar in the Red River where people could disembark and travel elsewhere. Ferry service commenced in 1898; it was discontinued in 1950 when St. Mary’s Road was gravelled.
The landmark church building is a simple Gothic Revival-style structure that succeeded an original 1887 Presbyterian church that was destroyed in a fire in 1939 but rebuilt in 1940. Church services discontinued in 1960. The building was almost torn down in 2005 but two local families bought the property for $1 and have since volunteered their time as caretakers. The first burial in 1879 was for Daniel Lowe who had a hotel and stable in town. He was the father of David Lowe who donated the land for this church and cemetery. The building is a municipally-designated historic site.
At a site visit in November 2019, a section of the church’s ceiling was falling apart.
Among the clerics of Union Point United was Lloyd Cleworth Stinson.
Union Point United Church (July 2015)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
Union Point United Church (2016)
Source: Desiree Rolfe
Aerial view of Union Point United Church (May 2020)
Source: George Penner
Interior of Union Point United Church (July 2015)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
Interior of Union Point United Church (2016)
Source: Desiree Rolfe
Interior of Union Point United Church (July 2023)
Source: Rose Kuzina
Interior of Union Point United Church (July 2023)
Source: Rose Kuzina
Union Point United Cemetery (November 2019)
Source: Rose KuzinaSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.52421, W97.22763
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Municipally Designated Historic Sites
Furrows in the Valley: A Centennial Project of the Rural Municipality of Morris 1880-1980 - A History of the Municipality and its People edited by Lenore Eidse, The History Book Committee, 1980. [Manitoba Legislative Library]
Union Point United Church, Manitoba Historic Resource Branch.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough, Desiree Rolfe, and Rose Kuzina.
Page revised: 22 July 2023
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