Of Wood and Stone, Manitoba’s 19th Century Churches

Content

This is the first in a proposed series of books on Manitoba’s places of worship. It will have 128 colour photographs of the 218 known to have been built before 1900. These have already been photographed over more than 35 years, so some of them no longer exist. What’s troubling, though, is that without the will or the resources what is now standing will soon be gone as well. Therefore the need for their documentation and preservation is urgent.

However, since these places of worship will not be left intact indefinitely Of Wood and Stone, Manitoba’s 19th Century Churches will record them in two dimensions. The book will perpetuate the settlers’ desire to celebrate their faiths irrespective of hardships. It is a tribute to and recognition of their dedication.

Structure

The book will be divided into 34 sections (chapters) arranged chronologically from 1842 to 1899. Each chapter will have photographs and descriptive notes about the churches built in that year.

The front matter will be a foreword (by an authority to be determined) and an introduction by the author. The back matter will consist of a selected bibliography, and indexes by place, church name, and denomination.

Of Wood and Stone, Manitoba’s 19th Century Churches is intended as a keepsake and reference for those with ancestral connections to the first settlers, for those in the religious community or practising a faith, for historians and architects, or for anyone attracted to a well-designed book.

I visualise the book as a handsome hardcover: a coffee-table book, a prime candidate for a publication award.