2489 Lakeshore Road West - Walton Memorial United Church

At its founding, the church was known as "Bronte Methodist Episcopal Church"

Tracing the history of the property on which this church stands is challenging. It's now known as Lot 65, Plan M10. The 1877 Halton Atlas shows no lot number for the property. Information can be found, however, in "Miscellaneous Registers" that states that originally there was no lot number, but it was referred to as the "block on the North West Corner of Triller and Trafalgar Sts." The original patent states that it is west of Husband's property which covered the block. On the 26th of August 1852, the Crown formally transferred one acre of land to "David Ghent and other Trustees for the Methodist Episcopal Church of Canada". Before receiving the Patent on the land it is likely that the church would had to have established themselves on it first.

The following information comes from the Walton Church website and from the attached newspaper article.

Walton was founded in 1850 as Bronte Methodist Episcopal Church. The original sanctuary was a white wooden church situated at the mouth of Bronte Creek on what was then called Triller Street. It was known as Bronte Methodist.

Times were different in the mid-1800s. A divider was placed down the centre of the room and on arrival at the church, men should sit on one side and women on the other. However, couples planning to marry were allowed to sit side by side in the centre of the room separated only by a rail. After marriage they were denied that privilege, and the rail seats were used by other courting couples.

During the early 1900s, the Bronte Methodist Episcopal Church was part of a three-point charge with Merton, a village once located at Bronte Road and the QEW and Palermo. In 1912 it was obvious that the little church was inadequate, especially for the Sunday School. The church was moved across the road and was used while the present brick building was erected as a gift from the Walton Family in memory of their father. On New Year's Eve, 1914, Mrs. Emanuel Walton handed over the golden key to the door of the new church to Rev. Thomas Boyd. The service began in the old building and parishioners walked across the street into the new structure for the final dedication.

Our church has been at this location for over 160 years and many descendants of the original families are still in the area and attending our church. Ours is a rich history closely linked to the development of Canada.

The United Church of Canada was formed in 1925 when the Methodists, Congregational Union and 70% of the Presbyterian Church in Canada united. At that time, Walton Memorial became part of the United Church of Canada, which is the largest Protestant denomination in Canada.