Jim and Sandy Thornton have always wanted to live in quiet surroundings.
It’s not that the retired couple hadn’t experienced the tranquility of rural life; they had already built and lived in two rural homes in the Caledon area before deciding to move to a Fergus subdivision.
They loved this part of the province, but it was the closeness of subdivision living that made them realize it was time to return to the quiet life – and that’s when the search began for that special place the couple could call home.
“I wasn’t happy with where we were living,” Sandy said.
Added Jim, “Sandy found this place on the internet and we put a bid on it.”
That place was Morrison United Church in Cedarville, a house of worship that had served the tiny hamlet for over 100 years and was the gathering place for Sunday services, community events, social gatherings, weddings, christenings and funerals.
It was the community’s hub, but dwindling attendance made church trustees realize it was time to sell.
The couple’s bid became part of several sealed bids for the purchase of the church that were opened on a set date. The Thornton bid was picked and sent to the trustees to consider.
“The trustees accepted our bid,” Jim and Sandy said in the cozy comfort of the renovated church they now call home.
Coincidentally, approval of the purchase came on Jan. 5, 2009 – 103 years after the death of Rev. John Morrison on Jan. 5 1906, whose name the church bears. The information is carved on a memorial plaque embedded in a wall of the now former church.
“It made us shiver when we saw that,” Jim said of the coincidence of the dates.
Long-time Cedarville resident Josephine Feairs has chronicled life in the hamlet for over 50 years as a local Newspaper correspondent and is somewhat of a historian herself. She served as a church elder for many years, a position her husband also served in before his death in 1994, and her daughter Ruth served as the church organist for 39 years.
According to Feairs, the original church was a wooden structure built in 1869. In 1899 it was torn down and the timbers sold to raise money to build the current stone structure. Rev. Morrison was its first minister.
Scottish-born Morrison, Feairs said, was ordained as a minister on Jan. 6, 1866 and was well known in the Cedarville area.
“He lived on a farm about a mile east of the church, but he ministered to a large area of Proton Township,” Feairs said. “It [the church] was named after Rev. Morrison because he spent all his time in ministry life in Cedarville and Proton.
“It was discussed and discussed that it might close, but like most rural churches it continued,” Feairs said of the debate on the church’s future.
The decision to sell the property was made by the church elders in 2008.
“They decided there wasn’t enough support to hire a full- time or a part-time minister,” she added.
The final church service was held in June of 2008.
With the Thornton purchase approved by the United Church of Canada and trustees removing the final items from the structure, the couple took up residence in April 2009 and work began.
Living in a camper on the property and without any preliminary designs for the renovations, they set out. Jim, an avid carpenter, and Sandy, a seamstress who sews custom draperies for many Toronto-area designers out of the church basement which once served community events, dinners and Sunday school services, were undaunted by the task.
“There was absolutely nothing; no lights, nothing,” Jim said of the formidable structure the couple had purchased.
Because the church had no plumbing, a chemical toilet was the “first thing to go out the door,” Sandy recalls.
On the main floor, with its 2,000 square feet and where church pews once welcomed worshippers, the couple decided the renovation would centre on the main living space. They quickly realized the space had some peculiarities.
“It was a theatre floor,” Sandy said of the floor which had a 16 degree drop from the front of the church to the altar.
For Jim it meant removing the wainscoting along the walls because there were no straight cuts. It also meant leveling the floor to create the new living space which, would house two bedrooms, a bathroom, modern kitchen and living room which they adoringly call “the great room.”
Towering above the living-room space is a wooden, dome-like ceiling that adds to the stark grandeur of the home. From floor to ceiling tip the space is 23 feet high, something that can present problems when light-bulbs have to be changed from hanging light fixtures, they acknowledge.
The rooms are well lit by light cascading through many stained glass, gothic church windows.
From the hallway at the front door of the church, the couple had a staircase built that leads to their upstairs bedroom, which meant building, dry-walling and plumbing to create a new upper level. From the upper level they installed two antique windows overlooking the massive great room. Both agree being avid antique buffs and furnishing their home with antiques they have purchased over the years has added warmth and a timeliness to their home.
Another daunting task was putting in a septic system and digging a well to service the building. The septic bed was dug where a huge drive shed once stood and during excavation portions of the shed’s original foundation were uncovered. The well itself is over 180 feet deep. Connecting services proved time consuming because pipes had to be put through the church’s three foot thick stone foundation.
“We contracted out the septic and well,” Jim said. “The rest we did ourselves.”
Inside, the couple’s son-in-law did most of the specialized plumbing work, and in the attic, which itself is huge, insulation was blown in to a depth of about 18 inches to cut down on heating costs.
During the construction phase they found neighbors were always willing to lend tools, like a second ladder, when the couple needed something. The neighbors were also interested in what the couple was doing.
The couple believes there may have been some trepidation among neighbors about whether the renovation would alter the exterior of the Cedarville landmark.
“They were interested in what we were doing,” Sandy recalled.
But with the renovations all internal and with regular visits from neighbors, concerns were soon put to rest.
Today the home is heated by pellet burning stoves, which has cut heating bills by half of the $1,200 to $1,400 they spent each month when they were using oil and propane during the coldest winter months.
The modern kitchen, with its IKEA cupboards, granite-type countertops and massive dual sink, contrasts the more historical aspects of the home. Bathrooms are also modern, with a main floor bathroom and upper floor bedroom ensuite and laundry room. Light floods the bedroom from a unique and beautiful circular stained glass window.
They have become a part of the close-knit Cedarville community, something they were looking for when they first started their search for a rural setting. It’s a closeness they feel comfortable in.
Jim’s plan next year is to replace the massive stairs leading to the home’s front door that once welcomed parishioners. He is also considering putting up a garage for his woodworking hobby.
And with so massive a building, there are always minor renovations to be done.
Both would like to learn more about the history of the church and for anyone interested in visiting them and seeing their renovation work, the couple said, “Just knock on the door.”
