St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Maple Lake

By Guy Scott

In pioneer communities, the local settlers took great pride in their community buildings. The most common buildings were churches and schoolhouses. The earliest structures were often primitive log buildings, but as soon as the new community could become established, they created more ornate versions. A great example of this pride of place is St Peter’s Anglican Church at Maple Lake in Stanhope Township, Haliburton County.

The Maple Lake community straggled along the old Peterson Road (now Highway #118) between Carnarvon and West Guilford. It was separated by a series of Lakes: Beech, Maple, Grass and Pine which emptied in Boshkung Lake. It did not have a “downtown core” or main street, but it did have a couple of general stores, two school sections and two churches. And the crowning structure of the community was St. Peter’s Anglican Church, tastefully situated on a spit of land between Grass and Maple Lakes. A bridge across the river at this point allowed easy access. The natural setting also allowed a magnificent view of the lake and church goers could arrive by water if they chose!

The church, completed in 1905, was built by master stone mason Henry Billings. Billings learned the trade in England and emigrated to Canada in 1870. He first settled in southern Ontario, but due to health issues, relocated to Haliburton County for its clean air and healthier climate. Billings built a house for himself called Blagdon Hill on a high ridge to the north of Maple Lake. He also built several other beautiful stone buildings throughout the area. But his crowning achievement was St Peter’s Church. It is designed in the old English Victorian style and reminds the observer of something you would find in an English village. After being awed by the style of the buildings and the natural setting, the question arises: How could a poor pioneer community like Maple Lake afford such a magnificent structure? All I could come up with was “Where there is a will, there is a way.” The beauty of the church speaks for itself.