Old Hay Bay Church

Old Hay Bay Church Old Hay Bay Church is the oldest surviving Methodist building in Canada. Here, one can imagine, travelling saddlebag preachers thundered forth in their sermons.

OPEN - Mid May until mid October

Old Hay Bay Church is the oldest surviving Methodist building in Canada. It was erected in 1792 by settlers, including United Empire Loyalists, who had recently arrived and established the community of Adolphustown (in modern-day Greater Napanee). Here local residents gathered for worship and fellowship at Canada's first Methodist camp meeting in 1805. The buildin

g was enlarged in 1835, used as a farmer’s barn when the congregation built a new church in Adolphustown, c. 1860, and reacquired for church use in the early 20th century by the Methodists, (continuing, after union in 1925, as The United Church of Canada). The church, land, and its nearby cemetery were designated as a National Historic Site of Canada in 2001. Likewise, the church has also been officially recognized as an Ontario Historic Site. An annual worship service is held in the church on the fourth Sunday afternoon every August.

05/27/2026
Old Hay Bay Church2365 South Shore Road, NapaneeSpring has arrived and the Board and Custodians are looking forward to a...
05/04/2026

Old Hay Bay Church
2365 South Shore Road, Napanee

Spring has arrived and the Board and Custodians are looking forward to another year sharing our beloved church.

Our research and reference library is ready for you on May 16th – until Thanksgiving. It is an opportunity to do some “old school” research with paper documents and books. We welcome our new historian Carol Hulin, who has been busy organizing and collecting for our library. If you have documents or a family history you would like to share it will be appreciated and cared for. We also have books on the Methodist religion, Loyalist and the areas. Hope to see you soon.

The church will be open every day from 9.30 am – until 5.30 pm. Bring your lunch and enjoy the view of the water.

We have special gift and books for sale at the church. We are cash or cheque only. The Loyalist Trading Post, (Conway) now Greater Napanee and the Books on Main, in the historic village of Bath sell some of our books. We greatly appreciate these partnerships with the church.

Once again, we are taking bookings for the summer. We are a beautiful place for weddings, United Church Women events, Celebrations of Life, bus tours or any other reason you can think of for visiting the church. Check out our website for contract info. www.oldhaybaychurch.ca

The Church will be open to the public starting Saturday, May 16th, with a full roster of volunteer custodians. It will b...
03/03/2026

The Church will be open to the public starting Saturday, May 16th, with a full roster of volunteer custodians. It will be open from 9:30 - 5:30, daily, until Thanksgiving weekend.!

The church is now closedfor the 2025 season.We look forward to receiving visitorswhen we reopen in May 2026. Photo court...
10/27/2025

The church is now closed
for the 2025 season.

We look forward to receiving visitors
when we reopen in May 2026.



Photo courtesy of Peter Johnson

09/14/2025

Important Notice:
We regret to advise that, due to illness, the 2nd Century Worship & Fete, scheduled for Saturday, September 20th at Old Hay Bay Church has been cancelled.

Last year and this spring, we added new siding to the cottage, completely renovated the interior, and replaced the septi...
08/13/2025

Last year and this spring, we added new siding to the cottage, completely renovated the interior, and replaced the septic tank!

Much work was done on the inside of the Church - wall repairs, plastering, and complete new paint job. New cupboards we...
08/13/2025

Much work was done on the inside of the Church - wall repairs, plastering, and complete new paint job. New cupboards were added to help display our artifacts.

In the next Phase, we replaced the white picket fence with our new cedar rail fence.
08/13/2025

In the next Phase, we replaced the white picket fence with our new cedar rail fence.

It's time to celebrate! Renovations of Old Hay Bay Church buildings, fencing and septic are completed. Here are some pho...
08/13/2025

It's time to celebrate! Renovations of Old Hay Bay Church buildings, fencing and septic are completed. Here are some photo's of all the work that has been done as we moved through the various phases.
At our Pilgrimage Service on August 24th, we will be acknowledging and thanking the many donors, both financial and skilled volunteers, who enabled these Renovations to take place. Please plan to attend.
Here are some Photo's from Phase1

Address

2365 South Shore Road
Napanee, ON
K7R3K7

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