Princetown United Church

The Princetown United Church was designated because of its well preserved Gothic Revival architectural elements and because of its association with the early history of Presbyterianism in PEI. The area of Princetown (named for the future George IV) was originally assigned to be the capital of Prince County by Samuel Holland in his 1765 map of St. John's Island (PEI). However, the townsite never developed and the former Mi'kmaq and Acadian name of Malpeque became more common.

From this point onward, Princetown/Malpeque became the focal point for visiting missionaries to the area. On June 30, 1770, the Rev. William Drummond became the first Presbyterian missionary to hold services in the community. In 1791, the Rev. James MacGregor of Pictou, NS spent three weeks in the area ministering to the people. By 1794, a crude log church had been built about three quarters of a mile NW of the location of the present church.

A permanent congregation with a resident minister was established in 1800 by the Rev. John Urquhart who was also from the Pictou Presbytery. In 1808, the Princetown congregation was served by the Rev. John Keir who had arrived from Scotland. During his term, the log church was hauled to the present site and refurbished.

By 1869-70, this primitive structure was replaced by the present Gothic Revival building at a cost of $1800. The church became affiliated with the United Church of Canada in 1925.