Unitarian Universalist Church of Olinda

Photo by Alan L Brown - Posted September, 2004

Plaque Location

The County of Essex
The Town of Kingsville
In Olinda, on the southwest corner of
Olinda Sideroad and Road 5 East

Coordinates: N 42 05.220 W 82 40.287

Plaque Text

The Universalist faith developed in New England in the late 1700s and reached Canada in the early 1800s. Its central doctrine of universal salvation made it more liberal and inclusive than most Christian churches of the day. Local farmer Michael Fox began organizing Universalist services in the hamlet of Olinda around 1860. Twenty-three men and women formed a congregation in 1880 and built this church the following year. It was one of six Universalist churches in Ontario at the time. From 1938 until 1961, when the Universalists merged with the Unitarians, it was the only Universalist church in the province. This church is the oldest in Canada used continuously by a Universalist or Unitarian congregation.

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Posted December 27, 2011
Yet another plaque which is more specific about a location outside the country ("New England") than inside ("Canada"). Not only do we not learn where in Canada they mean, we don't know which Canada they're talking about. "Canada in the early 1800s" refers to different places, depending on the year. It might refer to Upper Canada (Ontario) or Lower Canada (Quebec), if speaking of a time before 1841; the Province of Canada (Canada West (Ontario) and Canada East (Quebec)) if referring the period 1841-1867; or, if using the modern definition of Canada, could mean colonies further away, like Nova Scotia. I'd encourage the authors to be specific. If we can do it for U.S. locations, we can do it for domestic ones. -Wayne

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