In this then and now post we look at the Scarboro United Church in the Calgary neighbourhood of the same name. The first image is from the late 1920s/early 1930s (a guess – from an old postcard) and second shows how it appears today. In spite of the seventy plus year that have passed, you can see that little has changed in that time.
The postcard used for the “then” image was sourced by this author and is undated. We do however know that the building was constructed in 1929, so it’s quite possible the photo seen dates from around that time. Why not shoot the building when it’s fresh and new? That’s not to say that it could be from a later date, that is certainly possible – no later than 1933 though as that’s when the company who shot the postcard went out of business (more on them below).
Differences between the two images are few, save for of course the season. We shot on a cold winter day, while the original photographer was enjoying the glorious sun of summer. The exterior of the building is almost exactly as it was. Some trees and bushes have changed, but that’s about it. Even the houses and homes seen behind in the postcard are still there. Too bad that cool fence (foreground postcard) is gone today. I liked it.
Be sure to comment on this post (below pictures).
Directly behind the church is the clergy or parish house (sometimes called a rectory), a home for the Reverend and their family. Behind that is a row of homes and close examination shows all those clearly seen in the old postcard are still there. Some however are now blocked by large trees and are otherwise near impossible to photograph. The only “not sure” amongst then all is the dwelling between the church and the double-peaked house. It does not show in the old image, suggesting that it was built after that shot was taken. Where it sits must have been an empty lot at the time.
As mentioned, the building is from the late 1920s. The church as we know today had its origins is two earlier congregations, both from 1908, the Bankview Methodist Church and Bankview Presbyterian Church. These two merged just before the church was built.
The building was constructed for a cost of just over $40 000. A report on its 70th birthday (1999) listed eight people who had been attending services at the church since it opened. (WOW!). In addition to church work, the building is used for various community and social events. According to information found online, it has been added to and renovated many times, although outwardly it seems to have changed little.
It’s not clear how many people attend the church today, but a some data from the 1920s shows a congregation of well over three hundred souls, with over five hundred kids attending Sunday School (a lot!). I bet the congregation size has dropped considerably since then, as churches don’t seem to pack them in like they used to.
It appears that the motto of the church is “Scarboro United Church has been spreading the word of God since 1929”. That is repeated often on banners and signs seen on the outside of the building.
The United Church (not just this one but the entire organization) dates from the mid-1920s and was an amalgamation of several smaller religious groups. It is the second largest Christian association in Canada and there are well over 3000 congregations across the country, with over half a million parishioners attending services regularly. The United Church is considered quite progressive and forward thinking and has been both criticized and praised for this.
The Scarboro neighbourhood was established in 1910 and consists almost exclusively of single detached dwellings. Then as today, it’s a fairly wealthy district, home to many mansion-sized dwellings. I have a connection to the community and attended nearby Sunalta School in the 1970s, a building which will likely become the subject of a report on this blog.
This post card is tinted, meaning it’s a black and white image, hand painted after printing. This was common in the era, before full colour printing became economical and practical. Hand tinted card were produced from the early part of the twentieth century, into the 1940s.
The company that produced the postcard is listed as Valentine and Black Ltd of Toronto Ontario which were in business from 1922-1933. I guess the depression killed them off – not surprising – who then had money to spend for something so frivolous as a postcard? We sure are glad they took this picture and we had so much fun duplicating it.
In the 1960’s I belonged to the 18th Scout Troop. We went to Scarborough United every year for our “Church Parade” wearing our kilts (Hunting Stewart tartan). I love the tinted postcard.
We used to do something called the "pointless challenge" 🤪 and miss those days. It was so much silly fun and often frustrating as heck. In these we'd invite people to send in random photos of obscure locations, but not give any information, and then we'd track where it was and shoot something similar.
Most of these came from old family collections, as was the case here. Anyone up to resurrecting the series?
In hindsight, why didn't we pose someone in our shot?
Pointless: “Devoid of meaning (or) senseless” Merriam-Webster.
If you like what we do and want to support this ongoing project (12 years now), go here: https://www.BIGDoer.com/help-the-society/ Thanks to Connie for making this post possible.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: ca1970 and 2014. Posted by Connie.
Captured on a cold, cold day many years ago. We've been passing this old house for decades and it's little changed in that time. At some point we expect to drive by and it'll be gone.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2017. Posted by Connie.
When retired old railway cars usually get cut up for scrap. Sometimes, however, they find their way into the hands of the general public or whomever. Flat cars make good bridges, and boxcars can be transformed into storage buildings and the like. Case in point here. We see them used like this often enough and in this case, it's part of a corral.
Incidentally, this boxcar dates from 1950 and this was found by tracing the old road number, which is still visible.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2017. Posted by Connie.
This central Alberta racetrack was never a commercial operation but instead just a fun place for car enthusiasts in the area to get together. Early '70s or thereabouts and it only lasted a few years. Even thought it's been abandoned for that long, there is no doubt what was here.
You know we like the the obscure stuff and this one fits the bill perfectly. Found by accident while backroad cruising and the history comes thanks to local car guy Mike.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2022. Posted by Connie.
On top of little Myrtle Mountain in the Kimberley (BC) Nature Park.
There's some good wilderness fun to be had here and nice views as you can see, but the real reason we came is mining history. The whole area near the ski hill was extensively worked over a century ago and we were looking for evidence of this. We didn't find much in the area searched, but it's a big chunk of property and we hope to return to cover more ground again soon. Of all the subjects we cover, mining related is a favourite.
Still, it was a good hike and that can't be bad. Look to the comments for more info 👇.
Exploring nature and history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2022. Posted by Connie.
It's a strange curiosity in south Kananaskis, there on a hillside and we have no idea who created it. We asked around and no one's completely sure about its history. In the past it showed the Canada 100 logo from 1967 but in 2017 someone changed it to reflect the country's 150th.
That's our friend Emily from DanOCan.com having a look.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2017. Posted by Connie.
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In the 1960’s I belonged to the 18th Scout Troop. We went to Scarborough United every year for our “Church Parade” wearing our kilts (Hunting Stewart tartan). I love the tinted postcard.
That’s super cool!
Man, I love Scarboro. Some amazing old houses in there.
I went to school at Sunalta and walked that neighbourhood a lot. Yes, very cool houses there.
Not that very different, even the houses down the street are pretty much the same.
They are, we checked. Thanks for commenting!
Both my Grandparents & some of their siblings, my dad included, used to attend services at this church.
Very cool!
Good to see that they are still standing.
The old building looks good.
Wow, you lined it up almost perfectly!
We hand shoot and take about five or six pictures and hope one lines up well!