The two most prominent religious denominations in Mintaro last century were the Wesleyan Methodists and the Roman Catholics but together with the Primitive Methodists and the Bible Christians, Methodism clearly dominated the religious life of the town.
Many of the early pioneers of the town and district were active Methodists such as Edward Tralaggan, Thompson Priest, James Torr, George Sandow, Henry Jolly, and others. These settlers supported the establishment of the first Wesleyan Methodist church which was built in 1854 at a cost of £150. The builders were Messrs. Jenkins, J. Jenkins and Blackley and the Chapel built was one room with a door in front and one at the back, and two windows in each side.
The 1854 Wesleyan Church was the first church built in Mintaro followed by St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church which was dedicated in 1856. More Cornish people had been attracted to the town to work in Thompson Priest’s slate quarry and miners from Burra who had returned from the Victorian gold rush bought sections of land with their earnings and set up homes. Hence the population of Mintaro itself grew and also the proportion of the town that were practising Methodists.
In 1867 the larger Wesleyan Methodist Church was built and dedicated in May of that year. This building was renovated in 1914 at a cost of £72.1Os. and a wunderlich ceiling added. Redecoration was again carried out in 1934.
These two buildings are significant because they illustrate different stages in growth of the Wesleyan Methodist Church in Mintaro.
The 1854 Church is an excellent example of a late primitive church with stone detailing which is rare in Mintaro. The 1867 Church is more sophisticated Victorian Gothic. There is additional visual emphasis on the front facade with corner buttresses, a small tower/spire, carved stone scroll and a slightly projecting porch.[1]
Don and Julie Benger bought the two Methodist Churches in 1993. By this time the congregation numbers had dwindled. The small church or Sunday School Room, as it became known, was used occasionally and the larger church for special occasions such as ecumenical Christmas and Easter celebrations.
In 2018 the Edmunds family bought the manse and the churches, which are being renovated.
NOTES
1. Edited extract from Mintaro conservation study, McDougall & Vines (Architectural & Heritage Consultants), Norwood, South Australia, 1988.