In 1870 the Scottish settler Dugald McLeod named Argyle after Argylleshire, Scotland, and by 1874 Argyle was described as a “new settlement.” The settlers who came later from Ontario named the adjoining area as Brant to honour the famous Mohawk leader who assisted the British during the American War of Independence. Today Argyle is a community west of Selkirk in the Rural Municipality of Rockwood.
From 1878 until the small Brant-Argyle Presbyterian Church was built in 1881 Presbyterian services were held at the Guthrie home. The surrounding area became a cemetery.
Anglican services in Argyle began soon after the schoolhouse was built in 1882. The congregation, which was part of the Woodlands Mission, had earlier, in 1879, helped with the construction of a rectory.
The parish of St. Oswald was formed on July 21, 1886 by the Right Reverend Robert Machray. Land for a church was purchased the following year. But it was not until 1903 that the church was built — by local builder John Morrison, assisted by a Mr. McNeil and the congregation.
St. Oswald was built in an unusual manner: with a wood framework and grout walls, grout being a combination of lime and sand. The interior finish was lath and plaster.
The church was consecrated on July 3, 1910 by Archbishop S. P. Matheson.
St. Oswald’s Parish was part of the parishes of the Woodlands/Stony Mountain area which included St George, Woodlands; St Michael, Grosse Isle; St Luke, Poplar Heights; and Christ Church, Stony Mountain.
At some time during the 1930s the Parsonage was sold to H. J. Procter for use as a farm building. In the early 1950s the church underwent extensive renovations that included stuccoing the exterior, repainting the interior, shingling the roof, and rebuilding the altar.
Regular services were conducted at St. Oswald Anglican church until 1967, and annual services thereafter until 1987. By the 1990s, however, the church was no longer in use, and it had been vandalised.
St. Oswald Anglican Church was deconsecrated on May 3, 1998. It was demolished later that year.
There are two churches and two cemeteries in the area: St. Oswald (Anglican) and Brant Argyle (Presbyterian). In the Presbyterian cemetery is a replica of the former church and the Brant Argyle Cenotaph, a memorial to those who died in the two World Wars.
• Photographed in 1996.
• Published in Senior Scope, June 10, 2019.