Viking Historical Society takes possession of historic church and hall

Patricia Harcourt Editor

The Viking Historical Society celebrated a special acquisition on Sunday during the society’s annual Pancake Breakfast and Show and Shine activities held on main street in front of the Legion.

The society has taken over the historical St. Matthew’s Anglican Church and adjacent hall for a project reflecting the history of the area.

As it happens, the church and hall sit on the south end of the same block where the festivities were taking place that day.

Mike Lawes, president of the Historical Society, explained why everyone was so thrilled about how things turned out so far.

“We officially took possession of the church and church hall last week,” he said, after officials had stood behind a ribbon in front of the church to declare that the ownership of the property had changed hands.

It took two years to achieve their goal of ownership. “We may try to have it declared a historical site,” he said. But in any case, the society intends to preserve the buildings “as is” no matter the future uses for which it can be used.

He said families will be able to hold weddings, anniversaries, funerals, and other such events. But there is a special intention for the parish hall.

“We have plans for the hall to house a self-guided tour for the history of Viking,” he said, referring to the gas fields that were discovered and developed here and the companies that were part of that growth, like Northwestern Utilities and Atco Gas.

And the call has gone out for help in filling the exhibit with pictures and artifacts. If anyone has pictures or other memorabilia of that gas history they are being asked to donate it to the society for use in the project.

In late March, the society put out the call to former employees of the Viking/Kinsella/Irma Gas Camp, or anyone who has ever worked for Northwestern Utilities or any other gas company in the Viking-Kinsella field, for help in expanding the proposed spe- cial exhibit.

A pipeline was constructed from the Viking natural gas deposit to Edmonton in 1923, the year Northwestern Utilities Limited came into being. There is much history stemming from the time an earlier company discovered the Viking gas field in 1914 and developed it. The church hall is going to be used to fill the building with information on that era.

Some of the items people could donate are logos for ball caps, sports uniforms, jackets, trophies, coffee mugs, posters, lapel pins, toys, cookbooks, photographs of employees at work or play, sporting or social events, and celebrations such as retirements and awards.

Newspaper clippings and early equipment or tools to put on display, and any other items from the early years and going forward that might be considered of interest or importance is welcome to include.

Lawes said the society wants to open the project in the building by next summer. The society is also open for donations that would go towards the preservation of the church.

Like the history of the Viking gas field, the Anglican Church and Hall go back to the early beginnings of settlement in the area.

At first, there was no church to attend, but people began to meet as a mission holding services in their homes starting in 1918.

The parish hall was built in 1925 and this was used for services prior to the construction of the church building in 1935.

The church was designed by A.M. Calderon and has a unique 16th Century architecture. It was used for services until 1986 and, even after that, people still met for prayers on a weekly basis.

“Visitors to Viking today are awed by the quaintness of its architecture,” writes Dora Haeberle, in the local history book.

Now the church and hall will be preserved for posterity thanks to the work of the local historical society. And there will be another exhibit reflecting the history of the local area.

The Beaver District 4-H Council would like to extend a heartfelt thank-you to the following businesses, companies and individuals who supported our first annual fundraiser through monetary donations, silent auction items and ticket sales.

• Kinsella Community Hall

• StraightVac Services

• Burner Energy Service Ltd.

• Home-Time Realty

• Viking Lions Club

• Beaver Emergency Medical Services

• Pine Cliff Energy

• Wetaskiwin Ready Mix

• Cardinal Energy Ltd.

• 6B Welding & Fab

• Viking Elks Club

• ADN Design

• Town of Viking

• Holco Construction

• Tofield Packers

• Section 35 Farm Distillery

• Claystone Waste Ltd.

• Bob Ash Trucking

• BASF Chemical

• Viking Livestock Supply

• Sixtree Signs

• Friends of 4-H

• Arber Greenhouses Ltd.

• Lango Cattle Co.

• Brooke’s Family

• Sherri-Lynn Wenger - Thirty-one consultant

• Country Doghouse Grooming & Creations

• TMT Wildrags

• Leanin Heeler Design Co.

• Bar H Leather Work

• Wye Knot Massage - Tofield

• Black Bear Boutique

• Golden Drop Honey

• Mint Pharmacy - Viking

• Laurie’s Vintage Creations

• Co-operators - Ritchie Agencies Insurance Ltd.

• Nutrien - Viking

• Lazuli Farms

• Parrish & Heimbecker Ltd - Viking

• Moonshine Cafe

• ATCO Gas

• Braided Mane Hair Company

• Peavey Mart - Vegreville

• KYBA Customs

• Nanninga Construction

• Heather McLean - Travel Agent

• Bumper to Bumper - Viking

We could not have had the success of the event without Aimee Boese being our emcee, Travis Dolter, Dance With Me-Social Dance Club (Sherry Tovell), our four 4-H clubs and our astounding volunteers. Everyone’s support and contributions means the world to our 4-H members!