The Unitarian-Universalist Church of Canton in the town of Canton began as the First Universalist Society on November 17,1825. Of the over thirty North Country Universalist groups once located in St. Lawrence County, it is the only one to survive today. These groups organized in the 1800’s as the St. Lawrence Association of Universalists and met formally each year.
The charter members of the Canton group originally held church services in the local school under the leadership of circuit-riding missionaries who traveled from New England to bring universal salvation to Canton.
The local Universalists joined the Baptists to build a “Union” brick church on the site of the current church on Main Street in Canton. In 1837 the Universalists bought out the Baptists and the brick church was used until the current church (the Gouverneur marble church) was erected in 1897. The Romanesque revival building looks much as it did in the late 1900’s, with the addition of a series of fifteen historic stained glass windows installed up until the early 1970’s. They honor notable Canton Universalists and their religious heritage
A significant factor in the history of the Canton church was the establishment of the St. Lawrence Universalist Theological School in 1856, to fill the need for educated Universalist clergy and educators. The Theological school supplied faculty and student ministers and religious educators throughout the North Country.
The Universalist Ladies ‘Circle played a significant role in the life of the church. They raised money for retiring the debt of the marble church (1897) and for the purchase of our Andrews organ (1869). In 1892 they spearheaded the purchase and repair of the Silas Wright House for use as our parsonage through the 1960’s. It later became a museum.
Throughout the Canton church’s history there were more than 30 settled ministers. The longest tenured minister was Max Coots who served for 34 years (1952-1992). Unique to the times, several women have held prominent roles: Edna Bruner as pastor (1945-1950) and Harriet Druley as Minister’s Assistant (1920) and Ann Marsh, along with husband Wade Wheelock as co-ministers (1993-2009). A history of the Canton Universalist Ministers through 1976 highlights the clergy’s accomplishments through the years.
What makes the Canton church unique is its forward thinking on issues pertinent to the times. Religious education became one such area. As early as the 1850’s the Universalist churches realized the importance of a formal Sunday School experience from toddlers up through young adults. What made the Universalist stand out was the transformation of religious education from a Bible-centric and rote-memory model to a child centered, experiential process. The lifelong quest for truth and meaning is a major component of our church.
A major transition occurred in 1961, when the Canton Universalist Society became the Unitarian Universalist Church of Canton. The Unitarian and Universalist denominations merged, after a democratic vote of the local members.
The Canton Unitarian Universalist church prides itself as a liberal and caring religious community. Involvement in the social issues of each era is a key component of our religious life. Each generation of Universalists took up the cause of its time. Some examples are: Women’s suffrage (1850’s-1900’s), temperance (1930’s), Nuclear disarmament (1980’s), Anti-war protests to the Vietnam War (1970’s), gay rights (1960’s-),, Social Justice (2000’s) and Environmental sustainability (2010).
Involvement in the community has been a focal point of the Canton church. In 1974, Rev. Max Coots played a central role in establishing the Canton Church and Community Program, which provides food, clothing and other assistance to those in need. It’s a cooperative with five other local churches.
The Unitarian Universalist Church of Canton celebrates its past 200 years in 2025, and looks forward to many more years as a beacon of liberal religious life.
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This history was prepared by the Canton UU History Circle from notes of Judy Gibson, former historian, and from archival documents in the Coots library and archival newspapers.