160 William Street - St. Jude's Church

St. Jude's Church as been an important part of Oakville since 1839

The first mission of the Church of England and Ireland at Oakville began in 1839. Their first church building, St Jude's, was a frame building with a tinned spire on the northwest corner of Thomas Street and Lakeshore Road where now stands the historically designated old Merchants' Bank (later Bank of Montreal), now a clothing and home furnishings store. It was bought from the Methodist Congregation which had built it in 1840 but by 1841 had found they couldn't afford it. The original St Jude's served the congregation for 45 years.

The land on which the current St Jude's was built served earlier for the penning of cattle and horses related to the market building on Navy Street. According to the Registry Documents, in 1833 C and F of Block 17 of Plan 1 were sold by William Chisholm to Peter Fisher. 50 years later in March 1883, Peter Fisher and wife sold both lots to William Young Pettit for $375. In October of the same year Fisher and his wife sold both lots to "Rev John Bell Worrell, William Young Pettit and William Joyce, incumbent and church members of the Church of St Jude" for $375. There's a discrepancy here because Hazel Chisholm Mathews states in Oakville and The Sixteen that the property was purchased in 1878 and corner stone was laid in June 1883. The adjacent parish hall was added in 1887. The building included the bell and organ from the previous church. The tower, added in 1896, originally had iron pinnacles on each corner but after one fell in 1930, the others were taken down. The clock and bell were added in 1906. In 1913 a fire almost destroyed the building. In 1956 it was extended to the north.