Union Presbyterian Church

The Union Presbyterian Church is valued as a landmark in the Mira River area, as well as for its architectural features. Built in 1857, it is also one of the oldest churches in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality.The first Minister for the Mira congregation was Rev. Hugh MacLeod DD from Scotland. He was fluent in Gaelic, and was inducted on October 2, 1850.In 1849, plans were made to build a large church in a central location to replace three smaller churches that were serving nearly half of the county of Cape Breton. The community of Albert Bridge was a logical choice because of its central location on the Mira River. In December of 1850, Rev. MacLeod purchased land on behalf of the congregation on the south side of the Mira.The first congregation of “Mira Ferry Union Church” began with the signing of the first “call” in 1849. The congregation was made up of members from all parts of eastern Cape Breton and numbered approximately 3,000 people.The service was in both Gaelic and English, and was held outside on the hill, as no church yet existed. Rev. MacLeod was Minister of the Mira congregation from 1850 – 1885. Every Sunday, the service would run from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. The first hour would be a service in English, and the second, a service in Gaelic.Construction then began on a hill overlooking the ferry crossing under the direction of the Cameron & MacDonald architecture firm of Antigonish. The lumber of the church was cut by the men of the congregation and floated down the Mira River to the building site, where it was milled and hewn. Each able-bodied man was required to donate three weeks of time to the preparation of the logs. All the lumber used to build the church was pine. The logs that made up the frame were hand-hewn and put together with pegs. The floor was laid down with eleven inch planks.After almost seven years in the planning and construction phases, the church was officially opened on August 5th, 1857. Although its official name is the Union Presbyterian Church, it quickly became known locally as “the Ferry Church” as well.Original services for this church were offered in Gaelic which, although it is not now thought of as common to this part of Cape Breton Island, was prevalent in the Mira and Catalone area. Today this tradition is continued through the church's use as one of the venues for the annual Celtic Colours Festival, including Gaelic concerts.The church has a seating capacity of 1,000. The interior of the church is dominated by the pulpit. High on the wall, it gave the Minister a commanding view of the congregation and for those seated in the balcony, a view of the Minister.Directly beneath the pulpit is the precentor’s box, where the precentor, or precentors, would sing the hymns to which the congregation would respond.The interior of the church today remains much the same as it was in 1857, with the exception of a few less pews which were removed to make room for the choir. The bell in the tower was specially cast for this church by Meneely’s foundry in New York State and shipped to Cape Breton. It bears an inscription stating: “Union Presbyterian Church, Mira, C.B., Hugh MacLeod D.D. Minister- Aug. 5th, 1857”. Echoing the many original features of this church, the bell is still in use to this day.

Seems like this is a spot where people dont talk about things that are obviously wrong.