St. Thomas, Ontario · Est. 1822
The oldest church
between Amherstburg
and Brantford.
Built of Kettle Creek brick between 1822 and 1824 on land given by Captain Daniel Rapelje, and surrounded by a churchyard older than the church itself. Open free of charge every summer.
1822
Construction began
1824
Opened for services
1825
First Holy Communion
4th
Oldest in the Diocese of Huron
Our purpose
To restore and preserve the Old St. Thomas Church, the grounds and tombstones thereof, located at 55 Walnut Street, St. Thomas, Ontario.
From the Letters Patent of the Restoration and Maintenance Trust, 1984
Begin here
A small place with a long memory.
01
Plan your visit
Open Tuesday to Saturday, June through Labour Day. Tours are free, there is angle parking out front, and a ramp to the door.
Hours & directions →
02
Two centuries
From two boys buried on a hillside in 1819 to a $1.5 million restoration — the full history and a nineteen-stop timeline.
Read the history →
03
Inside the church
Box pews with doors, a prisoners’ loft, a threshold worn away by handshakes, and a Royal Coat of Arms — one of seven in Canada.
Take the tour →
04
The churchyard
The judge who sentenced Louis Riel, the brewer who sold out to John Labatt, and a monument said to carry a curse.
Walk the stones →
05
What’s on
Wednesday evening concerts through July and August, the annual Christmas Carol Sing, and weddings by arrangement.
See events →
06
Support the Trust
Forty years of volunteer stewardship. Windows, roofs, brickwork and tower cladding — the work never really stops.
Make a gift →
The church in pictures
Painted, sketched, and photographed for two hundred years.
St. Thomas Church — Founded 1822. Oil on canvas, circa 1900, by William St. Thomas Smith, O.S.A., A.R.C.A., L.L.D. (1862–1947)
Keep in touch.
Concert dates, the Carol Sing, and restoration news. A few notes a year, nothing more.