Predominantly Italianate with Gothic Influences, this church stands upon a full height basement, the majority of which is above ground, giving the sanctuary the appearance of a very tall room. Built in 1866, the second Methodist church to have been built in Petite Riviere, it replaced the original, built in 1817. In 1925, with
Church Union in Canada, all Methodist, Congregational and two thirds of the Presbyterian churches in Canada joined to form the United Church of Canada.
One of the oldest remaining churches in the area, Wesley United is also one of the few which continues to wear its original shiplap wood siding. Some of the boards high up on the tower are beginning to come adrift and the whole church could use a coat of paint, but it appears to remain sound otherwise.
All the eaves of the building are supported by heavy wooden brackets, with double ones on the building and single ones around the tower, one set for each of the two eaves which define the belfry. The square tower itself is quite large and fairly tall, making a fine landmark even though it has no spire to speak of. The front has a single tall lancet Gothic window, matching a pair of more plain windows on each side of the double entrance doors. They are placed in shed roofed extensions on each side of the tower. The single window is actually the most elaborate of the lot, its hood finishing on each end in an urn shaped soldier or finial. All the windows in the nave and the basement are simple rectangles, topped with fine decorative hoods.
Though there is a Wesley United Church Cemetery in Petite Riviere, it is some distance from the church, just over a kilometre northwest on Italy Cross Road. Possibly that was the site of the 1817 church.
Though in need of a little TLC it appears that Wesley United remains active, as it retains a web page at the
United Church Maritime Conference site.
PETITE RIVIERE
Lunenburg County
It is about eight miles south of the Lahave River and on the west side of Green Bay. This is a French name meaning "little river" and the place was so named by Champlain. The Indian name was Simkook. In the 1630s Razilly placed a few settlers here but by 1745 there were only two settlers. Benjamin Harrington and James Parks were among the earliest English settlers. Parks came in 1769.
A Methodist Church was given by Richard Taylor to that denomination in 1817. The present Wesley United Church was built in 1866. St. Michael's Anglican Church was built about 1853 and completed in 1855. It was taken down and a new church was opened on September 29, 1886 and consecrated on February 27, 1889.
From the Nova Scotia Archives