Before 1873, Redeemer people met in the log home of our first clergyman, the Rev. Dr. Wm Newton. William Newton’s cabin still exists as part of a Lake Rosseau summer home. In 1873 the main part of Church of The Redeemer was built on land donated by the Pratt family, proprietors of the then new & flourishing Rosseau House Hotel. Squire Sirett gave cedar logs and lumber for the construction. William Ditchburn was the architect and subsequent lay reader. Charles Story of Bracebridge was hired as contractor, the initial cost being $500. Dr Newton & S.G. Best, church warden, signed the contract. Recorded family names of early attenders & supporters include Beley Beasley, Best, Brown, Coate, Draycott, Ditchburn, Holton, Knight, Lawrason, Magor, Martin, Morgan, Pratt, Ross, Spratt, Taylor, Williams, Wilson, Young. Three decades later most of those names still appear. More were added such as: Ariss, Atkinson, Bartlett, Bishton, Crowley, Clubbe, Dawson, Einarson, Finnson, Presley, and Topp. An 1874 photo of the church shows a simple board & batten frame structure on cedar posts. The sanctuary was added later. The dug cellar & stone foundation also came later. For at least 30 years there was no proper steeple. The 1st bell was housed in a mini steeple perched on top of the roof. The Church bell was rung 1/2 hour before a service & again when the service of worship began at 11 am Sunday mornings. The bell rang for funerals & for weddings. One time in the 1880s the bell was rung to alert the community about an encroaching forest fire. Men hurried to the church to organize for fighting the fire. The women were told to prepare to evacuate to the lake if the bell rang again. For several decades there was no electricity. Coal oil lanterns provided light when needed. Heating was by wood burning stove. In winter, people kept their coats on. The first organ was a pump organ and somebody had to pump the organ handle while Minnie Cooke, our first organist, played. The early altar was a simple deal table unadorned. Introduction of candles was a big issue. Our forefathers were definitely not high church. People walked to church or came by boat or horse drawn vehicle. For years there was a driving shed where horses could rest while their people attended church. Dr. Newton, our founding priest, left Rosseau in 1874. There followed some years of Lay Ministry with occasional supply clergy who could provide communion services. The next full time minister became dysfunctional due to alcohol consumption which disturbed the congregation for about 10 years. In 1891 a new priest arrived from Ireland. The Rev. Gowan Gillmor was an ex-military officer, a scholar & a musician - a gentle giant, witty & winsome. He brought healing & love, joy & laughter. Gowan walked everywhere, often several miles to perform his ministry, calling himself “The Tramp”. After the 11 am service in Rosseau, the Rev. Gowan Gilmor walked to his next service at St Thomas, Ullswater eating his lunch on the way. He declined the offer of a farmers’s horse, saying the horse needed a day of rest whereas he, Gowan, needed to stay fit by walking. Besides, walking gave him time to think & pray. Like St. Francis of Assisi, Gowan talked to birds & animals along the way. When Gowan Gillmor arrived in Rosseau, there was no rectory. The decision to build one came in 1892. (This would not be our present rectory but one that had been shorn of its wrap around porch & is now a private home located elsewhere.) In 1892, almost 20 years after the church was built, some of the same people volunteered to help build the rectory. Mr. Pratt, whose hotel burned in 1883, still owned the stones of the hotel foundation. He donated these stones for the rectory foundation. Harry Coate, who as a lad of 17 helped in 1873, again volunteered in 1892. In his father’s diary an entry dated March, 1892 reads as follows: “Harry with team & tools to join Bee to haul stone for foundation of parsonage.” A number of volunteers attended that work bee. They hauled 70 or more loads of stone. Other work bees and fund raising events followed to get the job done. It can be said that Redeemer Church’s ongoing story into the 20th and 21st centuries is built on the physical & spiritual foundations of the 19th century. The Church of the Redeemer in Rosseau, Ontario celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2023. A record of its first 100 years may be found in A HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF THE REDEEMER compiled by E. Parker, L. Swainson & A. Tournay.