For years on my travels from Burlington to Montreal, I’ve caught glimpses of a small brick church beside the highway giving me an “abandoned” vibe. Even from the highway at 60mph, I could see that this church didn’t have any windows.
Finally, I was able to take a detour to visit this church. Getting off the exit at Henrysburg, Quebec, I was stunned. At first, there didn’t appear to be a way to get to the church, as it appeared to be encircled by the highways and ramps, without an access road. Fortunately, that was not the case. A small road off the access ramp led to the church.
A view from the side of Autoroute 15.
The stone is the edge of the church property. See Autoroute 15 and the overpass. The church is practically in traffic.
See that island of trees? The church sits in there.
Just sitting there in the middle of an interchange. (I do not know what Noel Canada means in this location.)
The access road leading to the church (looking back to the highway on/off ramp).
Despite the proximity to Autoroute 15, this is one of the most peaceful locations that I have visited. The church sits in an oasis of trees. The grass is mowed, probably because there is an active (as recently as 2012) cemetery on site.
Henrysburg Methodist Church, 1861.
Church & cemetery hiding in the trees. And, no windows on the church.
The cemetery beside the church.
Some headstones date to the mid to late 1800s. That’s the highway in the background.
Others are much more recent, including up to 2012.
It’s always sad to see a vandalized headstone. I wonder if this person’s descendents have any idea.
View on the other side.
Front of the church. Note the tower is covered in vinyl. Meaning, not all that long ago, someone “cared” to take care of this church.
I was not expecting to find what I did when I looked in the church windows.
Rubble!
The interior was completely stripped of all materials – walls, floorboards, everything!
Upon further investigation, I found a demolition permit. It expired in 2014. Perhaps they started and were stopped?
The former address: 138 Montee Henrysburg.
I stood there fascinated while simultaneously feeling like I was attending a building’s funeral, or memorial service and having so many questions. Why is this church stripped of everything? How long has it been in the middle of this interchange? When was the roadway completed? Why was demolition stopped? Is there a community group, or perhaps the descendents of the departed have rallied? So many thoughts and questions. What are yours?
Presumably, the church was active until the overpass was constructed, until Autoroute 15 was widened or completed. The road was completed around the 1960s, though I cannot find a definitive date, nor one for roadway upgrades such as widening. A lot of google searching reveals only that the church was constructed as a Methodist Church in 1861 and active until 1975, but burials have continued until 2012.
And why strip the church? Perhaps to protect it from fire? It’s much harder to burn a brick building than one filled with wood and other flammable objects.
Does anyone care about this church? I cannot think of another example of a building stuck in the middle of an interchange. One on level, the interchanged caused the demise of the building. Yet, it’s also preserving this structure. It doesn’t appear to be a spot where anything else would be built, so why not leave the church there?
You can see the super-tall highway lights over the ridgeline of this church.
Do you know anything about this church? I’d love to hear more and find out it’s fate, hopefully with good news.
Preservation in Pink 