Our History
Christians of the Presbyterian tradition first began meeting in the area around Norval in the 1830s. A congregation was organized in 1838 in connection with Union Presbyterian Church near Glen Williams. Norval and Union were joined as a ‘two-point’ charge and shared a minister until 2008. The Norval congregation began as a community of Scottish Presbyterian farmers worshipping in the Free Church tradition.The congregation’s first home was a frame church building located where Hillcrest Cemetery is today.
As the village of Norval grew so did the church, and the decision was made to move down into the heart of town. The present building was completed in 1878 under the leadership of Norval’s longest serving minister, the Rev. Joseph Alexander. In 1925 Norval Presbyterian Church elected to remain as part of the continuing Presbyterian Church rather than join the newly formed United Church of Canada. A number of Irish-Canadian Presbyterian families from the Brampton area joined Norval at this time when their own congregation in Mount Pleasant voted to enter the United Church.
As the village of Norval grew so did the church, and the decision was made to move down into the heart of town. The present building was completed in 1878 under the leadership of Norval’s longest serving minister, the Rev. Joseph Alexander. In 1925 Norval Presbyterian Church elected to remain as part of the continuing Presbyterian Church rather than join the newly formed United Church of Canada. A number of Irish-Canadian Presbyterian families from the Brampton area joined Norval at this time when their own congregation in Mount Pleasant voted to enter the United Church.
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In 1926 Norval and Union welcomed the Rev. Ewen Macdonald and his wife the famous Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery. The couple lived in the manse (minister’s house) beside the church building in Norval until Ewen’s retirement in 1935. While in Norval Lucy Maud wrote five novels, taught Sunday School, ran a drama club, and occasionally filled in for Ewen who struggled with poor health.
The last few decades of the 20th Century saw the area around the village of Norval change enormously, as most of the farms which sent families to the church became new subdivisions for Georgetown and Brampton. Today Norval Presbyterian Church is working to take its strengths as a close-knit village church to reach out to its new suburban setting. |
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