Saint Joseph's Roman Catholic Church

Built in 1905, St. Joseph’s Church is valued as a focal point for the Catholics who lived at Marble Mountain during its mining heyday. Limestone, dolomite and marble were mined here beginning in 1869. The Dominion Steel Company (DOSCO) was formed in 1902. Between 1902 and 1922, the limestone and dolomite of Marble Mountain were DOSCO’s principal sources of lime for use in the iron smeltering process in their Sydney, Cape Breton mill. Within a decade, approximately one thousand people were employed in the mining industry of Marble Mountain. To provide for the spiritual needs of this large influx of workers at the quarries, a larger church was built here in 1905 as a mission of St. Joseph’s, Port Hawkesbury. This church is also remembered as the place where noted teacher, preacher, lecturer and journalist, Reverend Dr. Daniel MacGregor died on January 24, 1918. The mission priest lived in the vestry behind the altar of the church.

The architectural value of this church is noted in its simplified Gothic detail and overall form. Some Romanesque elements are evident in the main entrance door and the interior arched colonnade. Double Gothic windows above the main door and along both sides of the nave as well as the original altar are fine examples of this style of architecture which was very common from the mid-nineteenth century to the middle of the twentieth century. The unique interior of the church which is entirely of tongue and groove wooden wainscoting has a double colonnade of squared columns and an upper semi-circular gallery accessed by two stairways. Another unique feature of this church is the set of Stations of the Cross pictures with Spanish text. According to one story, it was believed that they were a gift from Spain and were brought to Marble Mountain by a ship picking up a cargo of marble from a local quarry. The church is also a popular venue for young couples getting married.