A Bit of History in a Church

 We haven't visited too many historical sites in our area, though there are many. But today when we were looking for a picnic spot we came across Hay Bay Church. It was built in 1792 just 8 years after the arrival of the first Loyalists and was the first 'meeting place' as it was called then, in our province of Ontario. The real interesting story relating to the church was in 1819 when they were holding a special service and people came from miles around. Even by boats across the bay (it sits right on the waterfront). One of these boats was filled with 18 teenagers who were coming across together and when one of the boys decided to stand up and jump into the water to swim to shore, he capsized the whole boat, which was probably overcrowded to begin with. 10 of those teenagers drowned while their parents watched horrified from the shore (drawn outside the church by the screams coming from the water) 8 of the kids were buried in the cemetary across the road and all that remains now of their gravesites are wooden poles to mark them. How tragic There is a cross on one of the trees by the shore in memory of the place the survivors came to land. It was a strange feeling for sure standing in a church that old. The smells, the architecture, the history. Wow, I was in awe. There is even a second floor that holds pews and the floor is slanted to offer a better view of the raised pulpit below.