Bloomingdale Rd. 0076 - Church - red brick - Bridgeport Free - Designated Kitchener

• Name	Bloomingdale Rd. 0076 - Church - red brick - Bridgeport Free - Designated Kitchener
  Nickname	2
  Born	constructed 1848	76 Bloomingdale Rd., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario
  Gender	Unknown
  Church	1848	Bridgeport Free Church, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario
  Designated Historical Building	Bef 2011	76 Bloomingdale Rd., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario
  Former Geographic Area	Bridgeport
  Name	Bridgeport Free Church Kitchener
  Died	still standing
  Person ID	I508	Properties
  Last Modified	18 May 2012

  
  

• Photos

  Bridgeport Free Church Image by Darryl Bonk

  
  

• Notes

  Bridgeport Free Church Begun: 1848 Closed: c.1955 Land on the Bloomingdale Road was donated on November 16, 1848 by  John U. Tyson  for a free cemetery and free church, to be available for the use of any denomination. The first German Baptist congregation in Canada was organized here on September 10, 1851 by the Rev. August Rauschenbusch. (This 16-member congregation was the forerunner of Benton Street Baptist Church in Berlin/Kitchener.) The first pastor was  Rev. Henry Schneider  who was ordained to the Baptist Ministry on November 12, 1852. Regular Sunday services in the Free Church were discontinued c.1955. The community then assumed responsiblity for the maintenance of the building which was donated to the Boy Scouts for their use. The Scouts continued to meet in it until 1968 when the front entrance was damaged by fire. The church was repaired and some renovations also were accomplished at the same time through the generosity of the Bridgeport Women's Institute. The building, which is designated as a Heritage Landmark of the City of Kitchener, has a plaque on the front wall of the church which reads: FREE CHURCH ERECTED 1848. Records: Baptism dates: unknown* Location of records: unknown* Marriage dates: unknown* Location of records: unknown* Burial dates: unknown* Location of records: unknown* *As this was a "Free" church, records would be located with the church to which each individual belonged. Information from the Free Church Cemetery has been recorded and published by the Waterloo-Wellington Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society; the original records are with the City of Waterloo Cemetery Board. The Minute Book for the Free Church, Bridgeport for 1879-1930 is at Doon Heritage Crossroads. A partial transcription which has been made of this small Minute Book is available at the Kitchener Public Library. References: Bridgeport W.I.; Clubine c.1976; Lamb, WHS 1979(67):60; Zimmerman, WHS 1965(53):18-23.1a 1aAmbrose, Rosemary. Waterloo County Churches A Research Guide to Churches Established Before 1900. Kitchener, Ontario, Canada: Waterloo-Wellington Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society, 1993. [used the kind permission of Rosemary Ambrose 2011]

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - constructed 1848 - 76 Bloomingdale Rd., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario Church - 1848 - Bridgeport Free Church, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario Designated Historical Building - Bef 2011 - 76 Bloomingdale Rd., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario  = Link to Google Earth