The future site of the Willowdale Presbyterian Church, which will be moved to the Sunnybrook Farm Museum in the next few months. (rdnewsNOW Sheldon Spackman)

By Jordan Davidson (Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow)

Ready to view by next summer

Sunnybrook Farm Museum ready to add Willowdale Church to their grounds

Sep 17, 2021 | 12:21 PM

The Sunnybrook Farm Museum is excited to start phase 4 of their south development project.

This involves the conservation of the original Willowdale Presbyterian Church, which is currently located southeast of Red Deer on Range Road 264, about 10kms away from the Museum.

First constructed in 1905, the church was rebuilt in 1950 and is described as a remarkable example of a small district church that played an important role in the lives of rural settlers and their community. Officials say the building was donated to the museum in 2021 by Elizabeth and Troy Aulenback and will be moved to the site within the next two months.

Sunnybrook Farm Museum executive director Ian Warwick says having a church on-site has always been one of their long term goals.

“That church tells the story of people’s weddings, funerals, families, births and baptisms and things like that. We had been looking for a church and thankfully two years ago we had a private donor gift us with $250,000 to help with it.”

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Warwick says they’ve been searching for an appropriate church for the last 10 years, and they’re happy the Willowdale church was the right fit.

Warwick says they plan on building a concrete foundation and basement for the church which will eventually be used as a heated storage spot for some of their other antiques currently stored in the second floor of the steel barn.

Future location of the Willowdale Presbyterian Church at Sunnybrook Farm Museum. (rdnewsNOW / Sheldon Spackman)

Warwick says they’re very excited for the arrival of the church and the additional improvements which will be made to their museum site.

“Overall project cost $410,000 and that includes some improvements on the parking lot and the entrance and wheelchair ramps and things like that. Then we’ll develop the inside once it’s heated and on its new foundation we’ll work on the interior to get it finished and hoping to have it ready by next July.”

Almost entirely funded by private donations, the society is also waiting to hear about their application to the provincial Community Facility Enhancement Program, who is expected to release funding announcements in November.

“It’s gratifying to know the community is supporting us in such a great fashion, that we’re doing the right thing and we’ve been giving these gifts to steward in buildings like the Calder School and preserve them for the future, so that’s pretty exciting.”

Also included in the project are parking lot and outdoor lighting improvements.

Sunnybrook Farm Museum occupies 10 acres of the original homestead from 1899 of pioneer farmer James Bower. Many of the Museum buildings are original to the farm including the 1942 Bower House and the 1940s Dairy Barn, and the 3,000 artifacts that have been donated to the Museum over the past 33 years which feature a wide variety of agricultural implements and working farm equipment, including 35 working tractors.

Originally gifted to the community in 1988 by Mr. Norman Bower, the Museum is now operated by a non-profit society called the Friends of Sunnybrook Farm. The mission of the Society is to promote learning about rural life in central Alberta, circa 1880 – 1950, through historical stories and a living farm community.

As part of the Society’s long-term strategic development plan, the South Development Project is intended to showcase the concept of a living farm community as the centerpiece of rural life.

Included in the project are the Roseneath Garage which opened in 2013, the Cooperative Mercantile Store which was completed in 2015, the Calder School which opened in 2018, the current Willowdale Church project, and the relocation of the Museum’s entrance and parking areas to 2879 Botterill Crescent.