Then: Lundy's Lane Methodist Church

The former congregation of the Lundy's Lane United Church dates back to 1794 when Methodist meetings were held in the log cabin of Jonah Howey, a local resident.

In 1817, the Old Red Meeting House was constructed at Green's Corners near Lundy's Lane and Montrose, and used for worship until 1888.

The first travelling Methodist preacher to come to the area was the Reverend William Losee, in 1790. No preaching circuits had been established, so Rev. Losee was instructed by the New York Conference of the Methodists to preach to all who would listen, and to form classes where numbers were sufficient. The first class to be organized in the area near Lundy's Lane was at the home of Jonah Howey on Montrose Road just south of Lundy's Lane. The first meeting of this class, in 1794, marked the beginning of the Lundy's Lane congregation. Classes were established at the House home in 1806, and at the Corwin home in 1816; both of these were to the north of Lundy's Lane. In 1817, the three classes joined together and decided to build a meeting house at Green's Corners and Lundy's Lane. It was a large building, 36 feet by 56 feet, and was painted dark red, as a result of which it became known as the Red Meeting House.

The Red Meeting House became the centre of Methodism in this area, drawing members from miles around. Indeed, so influential was this early Methodist church that it hosted The Genessee Conference in July, 1820, which was attended by over 100 preachers from all parts of Canada and New York State. The number of Methodists in the area increased rapidly, and in 1843, the Methodists in Drummondville Village requested permission to hold services and Sunday School in the Drummond Hill Presbyterian Church. This request was turned down, and so the Methodists decided to erect a brick church across the street from the Drummond Hill Presbyterian Church, on the site that became the Lundy's Lane United Church. In 1846, around the time that the "New Drummondville Methodist Church" opened, the Red Meeting House was renamed the "Lundy's Lane Methodist Church." Services were held in both churches for 12 years, until it was decided that duplication of services was not necessary. Although there were many people opposed to closing their original place of worship, farewell services were held at the Red Meeting House in 1857. A stone cairn commemorating the Red Meeting House was unveiled by the Lundy's Lane Historical Society on September 14, 1936 near Lundy's Lane and Montrose Road.

Now: Battlefield Event Centre and Chapel

After the congregation left the old Red Meeting House at Green's Corners, Lundy's Lane Methodist Church was built in 1888 on the site of the current building (6085 Lundys Lane, Niagara Falls). It was renamed Lundy's Lane United Church in 1925 due to amalgamation.

In 1961, the 1888 church building was torn down and replaced by the present sanctuary, which remains to this day.

However, the congregation has moved on. After 220 years of serving the Niagara community, worship services halted at this church on Lundy's Lane in June, 2015. The congregations of Lundy's Lane United Church and Stamford United Church amalgamated to form Stamford Lane United Church, located at 3855 St. Peter Avenue.

By 2019, the former Lundy's Lane United Church had become the Battlefield Event Centre and Chapel, a commercial wedding and conference venue that has also been used for music recordings, video production, thematic corporate and social events, and a range of community initiatives.

Battlefield Event Centre. https://www.eventective.com/niagara-falls-on/battlefield-event-center-708082.html . Accessed 2021-03-01.

Green, Ernest. 1912. Some Graves on Lundy's Lane. Niagara Historical Society publication No. 22. Niagara Historical Society. http://www.nhsm.ca/media/NHS22Some%20Graves%20on%20Lundy's%20Lane.pdf

Niagara Falls Museums. 2021. Early Methodist Churches of Niagara Falls. https://niagarafallsmuseums.ca/discover-our-history/history-notes/methodistchurches.aspx

Niagara Falls Public Library. 2017. Niagara Falls - Then & Now: A Photographic Journey Through The Years. [Lundy's Lane Methodist Church / Lundy's Lane United Church].

Niagara Falls Then and Now
A collaborative project
Niagara Falls Museums - Niagara Falls Public Library - Dept. of Geography and Tourism Studies,Brock University.
Original newspaper series by Sherman Zavitz, Official Historian for the City of Niagara Falls from 1994 - 2019.

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Copyright for all content remains with original creators.