On Friday, October 27, 2023, Heritage Mississauga hosted our 22nd annual Haunted Mississauga evening. This year’s event saw our talented cast and crew assemble at Dixie Union Chapel and Cemetery to bring a story from our past to life for one evening. One of the highlights of the evening was being able to walk inside the historic Dixie Union Chapel, which has been closed to the public since our last event here at Dixie Union in 2016. During the evening we fielded countless inquiries about the chapel and cemetery. It also highlighted, in part, that much of the story around the chapel’s history is somewhat obscure and historic images are scarce. Thinking about this prompted me to share the history of the site, and to also call out for images and information from you, our readers.

But first, a little history.

A lack of formal religious services in historic Mississauga prompted early settlers of the Cooksville and Dixie areas of Mississauga to meet at Philip Cody’s tavern in 1808 where they agreed to build a chapel. Cody and Moses Teeter donated land across the road from the tavern for a cemetery and church. The first attempt at construction was thwarted when a falling tree broke foreman Absalom Wilcox’s leg. Construction was delayed again during the War of 1812. The first log chapel on this site was completed in 1816.

It was agreed that the three Protestant faiths (Anglican, Methodist and Presbyterian) would use the chapel at different times, making it a Union (not United) church.

The congregations reached an agreement for use: Anglicans worshipped at 9:30 AM on Sundays, Methodists at 2:00 PM, and Presbyterians at 7:00 PM. Over time, other congregations formed and came to use the chapel, including, Baptists, Congregationalists and Lutherans. Each had their own day and time for use of the building. The chapel and cemetery were managed by three trustees – one each from the Anglican, Methodist and Presbyterian congregations. The first trustees in 1809 were John Silverthorn, Allen Robinet and Daniel Harris. Other trustees over time also included Aaron Silverthorn, James Allison, Miles Vokes, Robert Graham, John Watson and William Pinkney, although we do not have a complete record of those who cared for the old chapel and cemetery.

In the fall of 1836 construction began on a new stone chapel. Stone for the building was hauled by horse teams from the Etobicoke Creek. The opening of the new chapel was delayed by rising political tensions and the Rebellion of 1837. The new stone chapel was officially opened in the spring of 1838. Over its many years of use, this little stone chapel has been known by many names: Fountainhill, the Indian Chapel, the Stone Church, Christ Church Sydenham, Sydenham Chapel, Dixie Old Stone Chapel, and Dixie Union Chapel, likely amongst others.

A notable feature of the old chapel is the wooden clock that appears in the front gable that is permanently etched to read three minutes past 11 o’clock – in part as a rebuke for lateness, and in part to remind parishioners that they are running out of time. Sometime prior to 1900 the exterior of the stone chapel was covered in a roughcast stucco. The building underwent extensive repairs between 1917 and 1925. The building last saw regular service in 1952 with a Baptist congregation.

Of the founding Protestant congregations, the Methodists (now United) were the first to leave, building a new church of their own in Cooksville in 1844. The Presbyterian congregation built their own church, immediately to the North of the cemetery, in 1910. A small Baptist congregation used the chapel for services until 1922. The Anglican (Church of England) congregation built a new church, St. John the Baptist Anglican Church, next door to the old chapel in 1870. This church burned in 1924 and was replaced by the surviving Anglican Church in 1926. During the building of the new church, the Anglican congregation met, once again, in the old chapel.

From the early 1930s until 1955, St. John the Baptist Anglican Church used the old chapel for Sunday school classes, at which time a new church hall was added to their building. Since 1955 it is believed that the old chapel has only seen intermittent use.

A centenary celebration was held at the chapel in July of 1937 with hundreds of people in attendance. The ceremonies were chaired by Thomas Laird Kennedy and featured a speech by William Perkins Bull. “The spirit of union exemplified by this building may be recaptured some day with great benefit to all,” remarked T.L. Kennedy during the service.

As old as the chapel is, the cemetery is older still. Established in 1809, Dixie Union Cemetery is the oldest established cemetery in Mississauga and our City’s only early settler site which predates the War of 1812. The cemetery property was deeded to trustees by Philip Cody in 1809, and the first burial occurred in 1810 – that of 3-year-old Philip Harris. It is believed that only about one half of burials in the cemetery have visible gravestones. In 2015 the City of Mississauga took over ownership of Dixie Union Cemetery and Chapel.

Now here is the call out for help: we are looking to gather any historical imagery and information we can of the chapel and cemetery over time, to help fill in some of the collective blanks and tell the fuller story of this remarkable part of our history. Please contact Heritage Mississauga at history@heritagemississauga.org

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The History of Mississauga’s Dixie Union Chapel & Cemetery

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