LOCH BROOM – Plans are underway to move a cairn at the Loch Broom Log Church to a more accessible location on the property before starting repairs on the structure.
The cairn was originally placed in a wooded area, set slightly away from the log church, said committee chairperson Colleen Parker. At its current location, many people can’t spot the cairn from the church due to the overgrowth of trees, she said.
“We want to move it to a more predominant spot, so people can look at it and read the plaque on their way into the church,” she said. “A lot of people don’t even go down to where it is now.”
In order to move the monument, the group has to wait until the ground is completely dried out. If that happens earlier than this fall, they’ll be able to move it sooner, Parker said.
The monument will be jacked up off the concrete base, put on planking and moved with a tractor to its new home.
“We don’t think there will be any problems moving it – she’s well built,” Parker said, but pointed out one section on the top of the monument where a plaque is attached that’s crumbling and needs to be repaired.
“The only reason the top is going is that where they put the plaque in place the water was able to seep down.”
The log church has undergone significant repairs over the past few years. The church is a replica of the original church, built in 1787 under the direction of Rev. Dr. James MacGregor, a Scottish minister who wanted to construct a place of worship near the West River and another along the East River with alternating four-hour services, delivered in both Gaelic and English.
The replica was constructed about 40 years ago by the old-fashioned methods used in the original dwelling, including peeling all the logs and cutting and grooving spots for each of the logs instead of using nails.
Over the years, however, the walls started bowing out and each winter the frost would heave the church further.
The walls were repaired and a foundation was placed under the church, which Parker says the committee camouflaged as much as possible so it wouldn’t detract from the replication. A fence was built to keep out unwanted critters and further drainage was installed to cut down on wet spots on the property.
Plans are also in place to disguise a port-a-potty on the premises as an old-fashioned outhouse, she added.
“Were going to build an outhouse around it,” Parker said. “We have to have these things, but we want to try to make it look as accurate as possible.”
This Sunday, the Loch Broom Log Church will play host to the fifth annual Gaelic-English Church service, similar to the ones MacGregor would have first preached to his flock. The event will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday and signs will be posted off the Pictou Rotary and Exit 20.
For more, email lblogchurch@eastlink.ca or call 925-2240 in the evenings.
