St. Andrew's Anglican Church (Birch Island Reserve, Ont.) was a church in the former three-point Anglican Parish of Sheguiandah and Birch Island Reserve. St. Andrew's was located on Cockburn Island.
Before the construction of the actual St. Andrew’s Anglican Church, services were held in a rough building made of logs, used for both church and schoolhouse constructed in 1867. The building had a tinned roof and a bell, but was never completely finished due to a lack of funds. This was to the credit of Rev. Jabez Waters Sims.
The present church of St. Andrew was completed in 1892 with Rev. Frederick W. Frost's direction (who provided services in Anishinaabemowin at this and other churches of his charge). Rev. F. Frost had come to Sheguiandah in 1877, staying until 1897 to minsiter to Indigenous and English congregations in the area.
In 1930-1931 the Executive Committee made a grant of $100.00 to St. Andrew’s church so it could undergo repairs and improvements including: erecting a flag pole, creating a fence and gates to surround the church, the church was repaired and painted outside, the belfry was fixed, a hardwood floor was put down inside, and the doors were varnished. In 1941 the Mission of Sheguiandah was added to Little Current.
Memorial tablets to Mrs. Frost were installed with the text in Ojibway, while similar memorial tablets were installed in St. Peter’s (Sheguiandah, Ont.) in English. Memorial doors were made by Harold and Leonard Rowe, and were dedicated to Rev. Sims; Rev. S.G. Tomes performed the ceremony on August 30, 1981.
On June 28, 1961 the churchyard surrounding St. Andrew’s was consecrated by the Most Reverend William Lockridge Wright.
Early incumbents include: Rev. J. W. Sims (1867-1869), Rev. R. Hill (1870-1877), Rev. F. Frost (1877-1897), Lay Readers (1898), Rev. W. J. Eccleston (1899-1902), Rev. G. Prewer (1902-1913), Rev. W. H. Trickett (1913-1915), Rev. H. F. Hutton (1915-1918), Rev. J. D. Granger (1918-1922), Rev. R. M. Fairbairn (1923), Rev. J. S. Rhodes (1925-1929), Rev. L. F. Hardyman (1930-1936), Rev. F. E. Jewell (1937-1940), Rev. W. R. Tindle (1940-1941), Rev. C. R. Haines (1942-1950), Rev. D. Sissenah (1950-?), Rev. Canon D. Dixon (?-1978), Rev. S. G. Tomes (1979-1983), Rev. W. G. Dobinson (1983-1986), Rev. C. Dee (1989-?)
Sources:
- "Report of the Missionary Bishop of Algoma", 1889, Journal of the Provincial Synod, Algoma University Archives, 2009-080_001_003_1889.
- "In Memoriam", The Algoma Missionary News 18, no. 4 (1922): 54-55. Algoma University Archives, 2009-081_001_012_1922MayJune.
- “St. Andrew’s Church, Sheguiandah”, The Algoma Missionary News 27, no. 1 (1931): 12-13. Algoma University Archives, 2009-081_002_003_1931JanFeb.
- "Deanery of Manitoulin", 1941, Journal of Proceedings of the Thirteenth Session of the Synod, Algoma University Archives, 2009-078_002_011.
- A. G. Browne, “The first draft of ‘Down the Century’ a History of Holy Trinity Church and Parish 1886-1896. Little Current, Ontario”, 1985, Diocesan Heritage Centre Parish History collection, Algoma University Archives, 2014-019_001_020.
