It took 600 million years to get Central Newfoundland off the ocean floor. It took another 40,000 years to form our major geographical features, particularly the Exploits Valley, Exploits River, and Bay of Exploits including the vegetation and wild life therein. It took 4000-5000 years to both introduce and to bring about the extinction of at least three major groups of people: the Maritime Archaic Indians, the Palaeo Eskimos, and the Recent Prehistoric Indians. Then came the Beothuk, followed by the white men.

Reverend Amadeus Anspach, an early Missionary of the Church of England in Newfoundland, suggests that the name of the river and the Bay of Exploits into which it flows was "probably so called from the successful re-encounters with the native Indians who are said to frequent it during the summer season..." (Anspach, 1827).

The Beothuk  (back to top)

The Beothuk Indians of Newfoundland were the first North American Indians to be encountered by European explorers. The custom of painting their bodies, clothing, and practically everything they owned with red ochre led to the early explorers calling them the Red Indians. This misnomer was subsequently applied to all North American tribes (Fardy, 1988).

They were a hunting and gathering people who maintained a yearly cycle of movement between the coast and the deep interior. Timed moves allowed them to be in the locations where food resources were in season. Their social organization, which was probably altered by outside pressures from the white settlers, appears to have been loose grouping along family lines of 20-30 people with an informal leadership system.

Open conflict and retaliation with the new white intruders reduced their population size and their hunting territories. Unfortunately the long period of contact with Europeans coupled with the introduction of tuberculosis, influenza, and other white diseases decimated their numbers as they did with most North American Native groups. Sadly, the Beothuk population could not withstand the onslaught and were among the first native people to become extinct.

In 1768 Lieutenant John Cartwright, accompanied by his brother, George, led an expedition up the Exploits River exploring and mapping the entire region. His instructions from the Colonial Governor, Sir Hugh Palliser, were to explore the river area and establish friendly relations with the Beothuk. Although he did not meet any Red Indians he did write a hypothetical account of their lifestyle based on the information derived from deserted Beothuk campsites. His maps record not only the location of many Indian campsites along the river, but identify possibly the earliest white settler in the Bay of Exploits, John Cousens.

Mr. Henry (Harry) Miller and John Peyton Sr. joined forces in the operation ofa fishing-trapping enterprise in the Bay of Exploits in the latter part of the eighteenth century. According to the Pulling Manuscript, in the early 1780s Henry Miller, John Peyton, and Thomas Taylor, all heavily armed, went up the Exploits. They came to some wigwams from which issued a number of Beothuk of both sexes and of all ages. They fired into the group, killing some and wounding others. Most of the Indians fled. The white men took all the furs they could carry and returned home.

In February 1790 Miller sent eight of his men up the Exploits River to seek revenge for some of his nets and traps that had been stolen. They found a small Beothuk encampment and there killed as many as they could.

By the early 1800s the number of Beothuk Indians had diminished considerably (their population was probably not more than 500-800 people at any time). During that period the government offered a reward of 50 pounds for the capture of a Beothuk. The intention was to teach him English, and allow him to return to his people. Through him, a peaceful relationship could be established between the Beothuk and English peoples and consequently save the tribe from imminent extinction.

For decades the pilfering, raiding, and killing continued and in 1810 the Governor of Newfoundland, John T. Duckworth, issued a proclamation concerning the treatment of the Beothuk. Duckworth ordered Lieutenant David Buchan to proceed to Notre Dame Bay in August of 1810 and attempt to contact the Indians as they moved through their summer hunting grounds. Buchan cruised the bays and coves during the months of August and September but saw no Indians. His orders were to undertake the first winter expedition in the interior. He secured his ship Adonis for the winter at Ship Cove (now Botwood) and made preparations for his trek up the Exploits River.

On January 13, 1811 Lieutenant Buchan began his search for the Beothuk Indians. The 28 men set out across the harbour ice from Ship Cove dragging 12 sleds packed with 3,620 pounds of food, provisions, arms, and presents for the Beothuk. After ten days of hard marching they were within five or six miles of Red Indian Lake. Leaving the sleds and half the party they continued on to the lake.

At dawn on January 24, Buchan and his men surprised the sleeping village on Bloody Point. As a sign of friendship they gave the Indians the gifts they had brought. When they went back to the sleds to get the rest of the supplies, two men stayed with the Indians and four Indians went with the white men.

Two Indians stayed with Buchan, while the other two, suspicious of their motives, went back to their camp to warn the others that they were in danger and that they should kill the two men who had stayed behind. James Butler and Thomas Bouthland were killed with arrows and their heads were cut off and put on poles and so ended the last best chance for establishing friendly relations.

On September 8, 1818 a party of Indians cut adrift John Peyton's boat from his wharf at Lower Sandy Point. It was loaded with personal belongings and salmon ready for transport to St. John's the next morning. Peyton found his pilfered boat destroyed the next day at Charles Brook. He travelled to St. John's and met with the governor and laid before him his list of losses and grievances over the past four years. He requested permission to go into the interior the next winter and recover his property.

In 1819 Governor Charles Hamilton authorized an expedition of settlers led by John Peyton Jr. to approach the Indians to recover the stolen items and, if possible, to capture and return with a Beothuk. On the morning of March 5, 1819 they came across an encampment of three wigwams on the northeastern arm of Red Indian Lake. Surprised by the appearance of the expedition the Indians fled into the nearby forest. Demasduit (pictured at left) gave her husband, Nonosabasut, their child to carry. She, however, was still overtaken by Peyton. Exhausted, she surrendered by falling to her knees and opening her caribou-skin tunic exposing her breasts in an apparent plea for mercy.

Nonosabasut returned to rescue his wife and in the ensuing scuffle he was bayoneted and shot three times. His death that morning on the frozen surface of Red Indian Lake is stark testimony to the true nature of the expedition.

Demasduit was renamed by the English settlers, with the month of her capture in mind, as Mary March. She was about 23 years old at the time of her capture and was later described as being tall with a rather stout body, delicate arms and beautifully formed hands and feet. Her complexion was a light copper colour and her hair black.

Mary March was taken down river to Lower Sandy Point and on to Twillingate where she spent several months in the care of Reverend Leigh, an Episcopal Missionary. Later that spring she was taken to St. John's as ward of the governor. While there a portrait of her, described as a good likeness, was painted by Lady Hamilton, the wife of the governor. Mary's health was failing and it became obvious that if any success in convincing the Beothuk of better relations was to be achieved, it would have to be soon. During the summer of 1819 Mary accompanied Captain William Glascock aboard the H.M.S. Sir Franciv Drake along the shores of Nortre Dame Bay in search of her people, to no avail.

Captain Buchan was dispatched in August aboard the H.M.S. Grcushopper to the Bay of Exploits. A veteran of winter travel to the deep interior of Newfoundland, he was charged with the safe return of Mary to her people at Red Indian Lake. The Grasshopper sailed into Ship Cove and prepared for the over-wintering.

Before Mary March could be reunited with her people she died of tuberculosis on board ship in Botwood harbour at 2 pm on January 8, 1820. The body was placed in a coffin along with trinkets she had collected during the previous year. The coffin was taken up the river to Red Indian Lake and left where her people would find it. It was subsequently found and she was buried next to her husband and child.

The story of Mary March is a tragic one. She is remembered not for what she did but for what was done to her. Her story and particularly the incidents at the time of her capture encompassed the host of misunderstandings between the settlers and the Beothuk Indians.

Shanawdithit(back to top)

Shanawdithit (Nancy), the niece of Mary March's husband, was the last known Beothuk Indian of Newfoundland. It was through her that historians learned most about the customs and traditions of her people. She was born about the year 1800 on the shores of Red Indian Lake. In 1823 she, her mother, and sister surrendered to fur trappers and were taken to John Peyton Jr. at Exploits-Burnt Island. The three women were given protection and provisions by the governor. They camped in a wigwam at Charles Brook; however, within a few months consumption (turberculosis) took the rest of Shanawdithit's family. All alone, she moved to Upper Sandy Point to live with the Peyton family. Shanawdithit died of tuberculosis on June 6, 1829 in St. John's.

Early Settlers  (back to top)

The people who lived or worked in the Exploits River area between 1750-1830 came from varied backgrounds, from fishermen to military to clergy. Many were noted for their contributions to the history of the Exploits River and the Beothuk. Some gained recognition for their darker activities and others for their service to the growing society.

Furring and Fishing Industries  (back to top)

The furring and salmon fishing industries were closely linked during the early settlement of the area, the fur trade being a secondary source of income for the settlers. In summer, they resided on the coast for easy access to the salmon rivers, but wintered inland in the more wooded, protected areas hunting and fur trapping hare, fox, wolf, beaver, otter, and martin cat.

Before the end of the eighteenth century the movement towards permanent settlement in the area was well advanced. This was partially because of the development of winter enterprise based on interior resources such as trapping, hunting, furring, and logging. The first record of any permanent settlement in the area was at the mouth of the Exploits River. John Cousens established premises and salmon fishing stations on the northeast side of the Bay of Exploits and at Upper Sandy Point in 1768. He accompanied John Cartwright on his trek to Red Indian Lake.

A short time later, Messrs. Hodge and Hollett began a salmon fishing and fur trapping enterprise with their holdings at Lower Sandy Point. One of their main winter trapping areas was in back of Northern Arm:
 

Hence we have the high mountain range now called Hodge's Hills. That was the country they carried on their furring business These men must have resided at the Exploits River some three hundred years (Peyton, 1910).

The next men known to be in the area were two brothers, John and William Hooper. Two others, who occasionally accompanied these men on their journeys, were Thomas Taylor and Richard Richmond. Henry Miller and his employee, William Cull, were also noted fur trappers who trapped in the area of Northern Arm and Peter's River around 1792.

The Exploits River Salmon Fishery  (back to top)

The first documented records of any harvesting of Atlantic salmon in the Exploits are dated 1768. The salmon were caught by both the Beothuk and English settlers. The English settlers gradually forced the Beothuk Indians from the coastal area where they had exploited salmon and other near shore marine resources. In John Cartwright's 1768 report, he said that only two salmon rivers on the island still remained to the Beothuk, one of these being Charles Brook, the other was not named. In 1770 the area was revisited by George Cartwright who said that Charles Brook had also been taken over by the English.

The harvest of the salmon run at the time was at or near river mouths and usually occupied about four months of the year. The remainder of the year was left for activities such as furring.

The early fishery began as a weir (a fence of brush, rocks or stakes set in a stream for catching fish) and seine (a large vertical net placed in position around a school of fish) fishery in the rivers and streams:
 

Early in the year men went to the salmon streams, and began construction of weirs to block the spawning fish. The peak of the run was about July, and as the salmon pooled below the weirs, the men caught them in seines (Head, 1976).

The initial Exploits fishery was carried out from Fogo and Twillingate by fishermen who returned home in the late summer or early fall each year. Later, people moved to Exploits-Burnt Island and fished and trapped in the bay and river in season. Lower Sandy Point, five to eight miles from the mouth of the Exploits River, seems to have been one of the first sites where there was a year round settlement by Hodge and Hollett who had a salmon fishing station there.

Thomas Taylor was another settler with his headquarters at Lower Sandy Point. He fished at other stations as well during the summer. Taylor's salmon station was located on the north side of the river, immediately below Nut Islands. Since then the location has been known as Thomas Taylor's Point.

The fishing rights of the river were claimed by Mr. Henry Miller around the year 1770. This was done with the help of Thomas Taylor and Jack Hooper (John or Dumb Jack) who was an apprentice to his brother, William Hooper, apprenticed to Matthew Ward. Their salmon headquarters was on the south side of the Exploits River at Lower Sandy Point. Mr. Miller built his living quarters further out the bay, about nine miles from Charles Brook.

As time passed, Miller hired several apprentices. He commanded 12 salmon fishing stations covering an area of 30 miles along the Exploits River and on the large adjoining streams. He had several stations on the Great Rattling Brook which were tended by Richard Richmond, Nicholas Eton, and James Lily. William Richmond, a brother of Richard, also worked for Miller. He fished at one of Miller's stations located 12 miles up the Exploits River.

Harry Miller also employed a cooper named Pike, probably James Pike, to operate a cooperage at Lower Sandy Point. They constructed kegs, barrels, hogsheads, and tierces (a container that holds approximately 42 gallons or 300 pounds) for pickling, packing, and transporting fish. Miller exported,furs, skins, and pickled salmon for the lucrative London market. Miller's enterprise was a considerable and profitable venture although he was faced with many adversities. "His control of the river earned him the title 'major domo' or principal man" (Peyton, 1987). Around 1775 Mr. Miller took into partnership a young man from his home town of Wimbourne. His name was John Peyton. Both Miller and Peyton carried on a cod fishery at Fogo before moving to the Exploits.

John Peyton's son, John Jr., came to Newfoundland around 1800. Around the time of his arrival, salmon fishing on the river was carried on at 12 different berths. The salmon in this area of the river were taken in nets and by rack work and weirs that were at the mouths of Northern Arm Brook, Peter's Brook, and Rattling Brook.

When Henry Miller died in 1800, the Peytons inherited full rights of the salmon fishery and properties on the river. Their salmon station was recorded to be at Lower Sandy Point in 1818. It was still there in 1827 when it was reported that Mr. Peyton had "twelve fishing stations for salmon along thirty miles of River" (Howley, 1915). John Peyton Sr. lived in Newfoundland until his death in 1879 and was buried at Exploits-Burnt Island.

In 1871 the first warden for the Exploits River was appointed. The man was Thomas Peyton, son of John Peyton Jr. Thomas reported the problems that were developing in the salmon fishery. There were three principal breeding rivers or brooks in the Bay of Exploits - Northern Arm, Peter's Brook, and Rattling Brook.
 

Mr. Peyton stated that there should not be any kind of net allowed to be set nearer than one quarter of a mile to the mouths of these brooks at any time of the year. Also, if the present system of taking salmon by stopping brooks with nets and other obstructions are not speedily put to a stop, the river fishery will be utterly destroyed. He recommended that wardens be appointed in each river, etc (Taylor, 1985).

It is not known if the salmon stock would have rejuvenated because hydro rights were granted to a company building a pulp and paper industry on the Exploits one year after the mill was built. This put a stop to the fishery and led to the transfer @I)f men from fishing and furring to a different kind of dependence upon the forest. If it were not for this fact, the salmon stocks may not have survived the almost three centuries of fishing exploitation from the Beothuk through the beginning and development of both European and domestic commercial fisheries, to the end point around 1907 with the start up of the mill. Without this development the rivers probably would have been fished until the salmon stocks were destroyed.

It was a frontier existence for the early settlers, having much to contend with in opening the boundaries of the Exploits River and Central Newfoundland. They were enticed by an abundance of forest resources, salmon laden rivers, large numbers of water fowl, and forests filled with fur-bearing animals. All contributed in one way or another to the cultural and industrial heritage of the Exploits River area.

Lumbering and Sawmills  (back to top)

A large part of Botwood's history can be seen and understood through the lumbering and sawmill industries. Private family companies and public industrial companies have evolved as a part of its development.

"The census of 1891 showed 49 people living at Killick Island and 44 living at Botwoodville. Twenty people were loggers" (Census, 1891).
 
 

(A)The right to cut timber to be a bonus per square mile, varying according to the situation and value of the land, and not less than $2 per square mile, this to be paid within thirty days from the date of approval.

(B)The license to erect a sawmill or mills and to operate the same in good faith and continuously, according to the conditions prescribed by the Crown and embodied in the license (McGrath, 1911).

During the 1860s the resident Anglican clergyman for the Exploits Bay, Rev. Edward Botwood, became interested in the timber in the Exploits River Valley. He recognized the great potential for the lumber industry. Before long he had bought up nearly all the land and timber rights from Peter's Arm all the way up the Exploits River to Red Indian Lake. His next move was to get a large sawmill started in Ship Cove. He succeeded in getting the Gooday Company of Quebec City to set up the mill in Ship Cove. For this effort, the town formerly known as Ship Cove, was renamed Botwoodville in honour of Rev. Botwood.
 

The production capacity of the sawmill was about 45,000 board feet of lumber per day, much of which was exported to England. The smallest log had a minimum diameter at the top of eleven inches. The total cut was over 6,000,000 feet annually.
 

Roland Goodyear, associate, with Rev. E. Botwood together set up the Exploits Lumber Company at Botwo,)dville. This was the first mill of importance to be built in Newfoundland (Thomas, 1967).

The first shipyards in Botwoodville were owned by the firm of Josiah Manuel & Brothers in the early 1900s. This was one of his many shipyards in the Exploits area and it was located at the sight of the present day Ore Shed. At one time he had over 100 schooners engaged in the fishing industry. Harry Judson Crowe

In 1900 a man named Dobson bought out the French Company and set up the Exploits River Company. Shortly after, Harry J. Crowe took over operations. H. M. Whitney, a wealthy businessman from Halifax, gave Crowe financial backing and Newfoundland Timber Estates Limited was incorporated in 1903. Crowe bought up most of the larger sawmills on the island, including Botwoodville which became his base of operations. In addition to the Timber Estates Company he incorporated two other companies, the New Land Lumber and Pulp Company and the Newfoundland Pine and Pulp Company. After obtaining title to sufficient land and property, Crowe went to England to try and convince Sir Harold Harmsworth that paper making in Newfoundland had definite possibilities.

The Harmsworths were sold on the idea and within a matter of days a deal was consumated. Crowe sold the Newfoundland Timber Estates, which included timber, water power, shipping port, and facilities at Botwood to the Anglo Newfoundland Development Company (A.N.D.) in 1905. The mills at Gander Bay, Glenwood, and Gambo went out of business with the sale of the timber properties to the A.N.D. Company.

Crowe continued to operate the Botwood mill and drew his log supply from the Badger area. He had previously made a deal with the Albert E. Reed Company which had a clause stating that all trees with a diameter of over ten inches at a height of twelve feet were to be left standing. This was such a nuisance to the A.N.D. Company that they were compelled to buy Crowe out on his terms. In 1927 the mill at Botwood discontinued operations and all Crowe's personal property at Botwood was sold.

There is no more dominant name among the early pulpwood and sawmill pioneers than that of Harry Crowe. He was described as a man of striking personality and was most ambitious. His employees considered him generous and courteous to a fault.

During his years in Botwood (1903-27) Crowe did much for the community He set up a kindergarten school and a social service center at Botwood. He introduced shower baths to his logging camps and had a male teacher make the rounds of the camps, holding night classes and entertaining by gramophone, lectures, and folk songs. Crowe provided recreation centers and, in general, tried to improve the working and living conditions of the logger.

John W. Aitken

In the 1920s John Aitken owned and operated a sawmill in Botwood. Fred Seabright was hired to build the mill and Wesley Menchenton of Norris Arm was one of Aitken's employees. He also operated a general store that was located on Water Street (presently the Optometrist's Office). Mr. Aitken operated the mill and the store until his death in 1942; the mill was then taken over and operated by Kelly Aitken until 1966 and the store was operated by George Aitken.

D. Scott Sceviour

Scott Sceviour opened a sawmill in Botwood in 1938. At first his company was small; he employed about 15 men. In 1942 he started contracting with the Anglo Newfoundland Development Company and employed approximately 65 men. Mr. Sceviour contracted with the Company for 27 years and at one time produced about 10,000 board feet per day. He later went back to being self-employed around Northern Brook.

Bertram K. Sceviour

Bertram Sceviour started a sawmill in 1947 and has held a sawmill operation license for 45 consecutive years. His mill would cut logs for roughly six months of the year and begin to saw about April month. In 1947 the production capacity was about 100,000 board feet per year. As the mill grew and with better equipment, it could produce about 250,000 board feet per year. One year it produced about 337,000 board feet.

Botwoodville Fire 1896  (back to top)

In July of 1896 a large fire burned extensively around the town of Botwoodville. "People were evacuated to the southeast side of the bay" (Colonial Secretaries Book, 1896).

A letter relative to the fire, dated July 11, 1896 was sent to The Hon. R. Bond, H.M. Colonial Secretary, St. John's along with a return showing the names of persons who had their homes and other belongings burned.

The following excerpts were taken from the report:

Henry Jewer

Age 47. At the time of the fire I had a house burnt and all in it except my bed, four chairs. It was all worth one hundred and fifty dollars. I now get employment with the Timber Company of Botwoodville and get one dollar per day. I and my family live in the staffhouse.

Joseph Sheppard

Age 39. I live on the north side of Peter's Arm. I have a wife, five children and my mother living with me on the day of the fire. I had a small hour burnt with some clothes in it. The house, clothes and all was worth about thirteen dollars. I live in my own house I get employment in the mill and get one dollar per day.

Abner Lacey

Age 35. I live between Northern Arm and Botwoodville. I have a wife and two children. On Friday the day of this fire my store and the frame of a new [home/house] was burnt. My dwelling house was not burnt. What I lost was worth twenty five dollars. I get constant employment by the Exploits Wood Company.

Selina Normore

I live between Botwoodville and Northern Arm. On the day of this fire my husband and two young men of ours were away to the fishery. I had a house burnt that day. It was worth one hundred and twenty dollars.

Horatia Driscoll

Age 45. I live between Northern Arm and Botwoodville. I have a wife and two children. On Friday the day of the fire I had about twenty dollars worth of tools burnt. I'm a carpenter get employment occasionally. My stable was also burnt value forty dollars.

Mrs. Henry Pope

States my husband is a young man age 25 and I have a child. I live between Botwoodville and Northern Arm, or what is called Northern Arm. On Friday the day of the fire my home was burnt. It was worth about fifty dollars. I saved all my clothes except three dollars worth was burnt.

Religion(back to top)

Anglican Church of Canada

The Church of England Mission for the district of Exploits covered Killick Island, Ship Cove, and area. Several of the early clergy were Rev. Edward Botwood, 1860s; William Pilot, 1880; Henry Charles Hamilton Johnson, 1882; George Seymour Chamberlain, 1886; P. G. Snow, 1892; B. Wood, 1894. The date for the building of the original church was not found but it was known that it was built below the present day St. James Anglican Church and it was used until 1949. In 1944, with about $10,000.00, the foundation for a new church was laid. On September 23, 1945 the cornerstone was placed by the Rural Dean, the Rev. R. 0. Davies. On March 18, 1949 the new church was officially opened by the Venerable E. M. Bishop.
 

...Priest and people made every effort to have all remaining work completed and all debts paid, so that the Church could be consecrated at the earliest opportunity. The needed funds were raised and the final work was completed and paid for at a total cost of over $25,000.00 (The Diocesan Magazine, 1949).

The United Church at Botwood is one of the most attractive houses of worship in the country. Construction of the building was begun under the leadership of the late Rev. W. E. Mercer (Atlantic Guardian, 1949).

The second Methodist Church, to replace the smaller church, was built at Botwood in 1905 while the church was under the charge of Rev. C. R. Durant. It was during the pastorate of the Rev. W. Edgar Mercer, in 1924, that the Methodist Church of Newfoundland became a part of the United Church of Canada.

In 1925 plans were laid for yet another new church but this time with twin towers. The cornerstone was laid in 1926 and the church was dedicated in 1928. The new structure had two tall spires that reached skyward. However, during World War 11 (WW 11) the imposing spires were considered a peril to aircraft based at Botwood. Military authorities in Ottawa decided the towers of the church might interfere with the take off and landing, so they were removed in 1941.

By 1957 it was necessary to renovate the church structure; this was completed under Rev. W. E. Stanford and the present church was rededicated in 1959 (Saunders, 1964).

Salvation Army

In the late 1800s one of the earliest Salvation Army meetings was conducted by Commandant A. G. Brown in a lumber camp situated on the piece ofground near where the present citadel stands. Following this initial meeting the flame of Salvationism increased in intensity. Salvation Army cottage meetings grew in frequency. Homes were used in the early days for these cottage meetings. Services continued to be held in the lumber camps in the area.

As a result of those meetings the number of Salvationists continued to grow until their enthusiasm led them to build their own citadel in which to hold their meetings. Captain Arch Baker, who officially opened the Corps on March 1, 1895, was appointed by the Salvation Army to lead the growing group. His assistant in this work was Captain Snow. The citadel was built on the piece of land on Wentzell's Road now used as a cemetery by the Salvation Army. The first citadel was destroyed by a forest fire which swept through the settlement in 1896 but it was soon replaced by another building. This latter building was not completed until the appointment of Major J. Oake in 1908.
 

Food took precedence over moncy in that day. One of the methods for supporting the Officer used as late as 1933, was to hold "Pound Meetings". Each person attending the meeting was expected to bring a pound of some kind of foodstuff for the Officers. During another period of corps history a group of soldiers each week collected a weekly allowance of food from the other soldiers of the Corps. Bedding for the quarters was handmade by the women of the Corps (Advertiser, 1965).

By the late 1970s the citadel on Circular Road had outlived it usefulness. The building was in great need of repairs and renovations and was not large enough to facilitate the different groups involved in the church. With financial aid from the Salvation Army Headquarters, a new building was constructed. The present Salvation Army Citadel was completed in late 1979 and officially opened on January 13, 1980 by Colonel and Mrs. Edward Reid.

Pentecostal

The first contact with the Gospel Message and the Pentecostal movement was made in 1926 by Pastor Thomas Mitchell and Pastor Arthur Winsor. At that time they visited one family and talked to a few other people about the Gospel.

Sometime between 1926 and July 1928 Pastor H. Eddy came to Botwood, hired a building, and opened for meetings. Much interest was expressed, so in 1928, at a conference in St. John's, Pastor C. L. March approached Pastor W. G. Ball and asked him to supervise the building of the church at Botwood. Pastor March purchased a piece of land on Harvey Road and this became the site of the first Pentecostal Church. The building was started in July of 1928 and was dedicated in September. Guests for the occasion were Pastor Eugene Vaters, Pastor Newman LeShane, and Miss Luella Morrison (returned Missionary from India). Miss Morrison preached the dedication sermon and Pastor Vaters read the Official Act of Dedication.

Since there was no Pastor yet stationed here, Pastor Ball remained after the opening of the church and continued having meetings for one week. Miss Guy followed and held evangelistic meetings for about one month. From the time of the church opening until the arrival of Pastor and Mrs F.G. Bursey in 1940 there were a number of different Pastors in the Assembly.

The old church became too small for its growing congregation so a new church was built and opened on April 1, 195 1. The building was located on Caledonia Road. In 1962 an extension was added to the church and opened the same year.

Due to tremendous growth under the ministry of Pastor and Mrs. Purchase, plans were made to construct a new church. Construction began in 1977 and in December of 1978 the church was ready for worship. This new church is situated on Fernwood Drive.

Seventh Day Adventist

Clarence and Alice Goertzen responded to a call from the Newfoundland Mission and arrived in Botwood in 1.947. There was a Seventh Day Adventist School and Church at Indian Point that they visited regularly by boat, and when the bay was frozen, by horse and sled. Members at Indian Point were the Ford Gill family, Jonas and Mrs. Rice, and George and Rhoda Rice along with their large family. Church services at Botwood were held in the Elk's Hall. Faithful attendees were Chesley Moores, Mrs. 0. Regular and family, Sharrons, Fudges, and Mrs. Cecil Upshall. An evangelistic meeting resulted in others joining. The first converts were Wilson and Manuel Hemeon.

By 1952 the Seventh Day Adventist built a new church on Commonwealth Drive near the Airbase, with their first school in the main sanctuary of this church.

Twenty-five years later, in 1977, another new church was built because the congregation had outgrown the old one. The new church, situated on Caledonia Road, was dedicated on November 16,1985. Pastor Vic Gill from New Brunswick and Pastor Roy West from Bay Roberts (both formerly from Botwood) took part in the services.

Jehovah's Witness

The Jehovah's Witness Ministry was started in 1960 by Frank Abbott, Jim Lewis, Eric Yates, and George Stover. Eric Yates was the first overseer in the new Kingdom Hall.

The first church was built on Commonwealth Drive and the first meeting was held on January 11, 1974. The church was enlarged in 1977 while meetings were held in Witnesses' homes for three months during the construction of the building.

The new church was built in September 1988 on Valley Road. The building project was completed in two days with over 1 100 Jehovah's Witnesses supplying volunteer labour.

Roman Catholic

The Roman Catholic faith had a humble beginning in Botwood. A few families worshipped and mass was offered in the Camel Hotel, Dominics' Store, and the homes of the Simons and Byrnes. Father Finn travelled to the community on the A.N.D. train.

Eventually a school was built on Parsley's Road which also served as a place of worship. In 1971 the school closed and the parents were left with the sole responsibility of educating their children in the doctrine of their faith.

On June 22, 1989 St. John The Baptist Church, the first Roman Catholic Church in Botwood, was officially opened and serves the communities of Botwood, Peterview, and Northern Arm.

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