United Church of Canada Archives

Corporate body

United Church of Canada Archives

1925-

When the Methodist, Presbyterian, and Congregational churches merged in 1925 to form The United Church of Canada, a partial consolidation of their archival records took place. Prior to 1925, Methodist materials had been collected by the Canadian Methodist Historical Society, and similarly in the Presbyterian Church, Colonel Alexander Fraser had over the years assembled a small but valuable collection of its records. The Congregational Church was less well established in Canada, and fewer of its records have survived.
Due to lack of funding, plans for a Central Archives for the newly-formed Church had to be laid aside, and it was not until Dr. E. C. Kyte was appointed in 1948 that any significant progress was made. He gathered material from numerous sources throughout the country, making possible the formal establishment of the Central Archives in 1953.
In 1961 the growing collection was moved to the sub-basement of the new E.J. Pratt Library of Victoria University. But within a decade these premises had also become inadequate, especially after the sale of the Ryerson Press and the Wesley Buildings in Toronto, from which the Archives acquired a great deal of material. In 1972 the Archives and staff moved to the Birge-Carnegie Building adjacent to Emmanuel College.
In 2008 following the decision to dissolve the agreement between Victoria University and The United Church of Canada to run it jointly, the Archives was moved to 40 Oak Street in Toronto.

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