The winter on the other hand was extremely cold. The first person to arrive for mass would sweep or shovel the walkway, open the door and get the stove started. Hopefully, it would be started before mass began so that a little heat would trickle through. On the occasion when Mr. Jim McAllister, Peter's father was buried, it was particularly cold. Born in the parish, he was over eighty years old when he died and was buried right outside the entrance of the church. At that time, of course, we had several days notice and we decided that the church needed cleaning. Father Flaherty, John and Celestine Nugent cleaned the floors, washed the altar and polished the six large brass candlesticks that were on the high altar. At that time we there was no electricity so Celestine brought the altar linen home, cleaned and pressed them. The little pump organ was trucked up from Elfrida so we would have it on the morning of the funeral. Sister Maria Cordis was called by Father Flaherty to play the organ. Then Father Flaherty called John and Celestine Nugent and said "Would you be free tomorrow morning to sing the Requiem". At that pre-Vatican II time the Requiem was sung in Latin. John Vandehei, Celestine and John sang the Requiem the next morning. The church was so cold, it just did not heat up and it was jammed full of many of the folks from Binbrook who had known the McAllisters all their lives. They were not Catholics and I think they would have liked to have kept their hats on since their heads were absolutely blue from the cold. As they brought the casket down the center aisle, Father Flaherty said the graveside prayers inside the church and sprinkled a little holy water outside, into the extremely cold exterior and everyone went on their way. Sister Maria Cordis, at that point, pulled out all the stops and hit a full chord on the organ as a cloud of dust sifted down from the ceiling. It was a very, very fast funeral and a memorable one.

     The following is an interesting little anecdote about Father Flaherty. He was a very large man, well over 200 pounds and as he walked he more or less rolled. The first Sunday he came to the parish he "rolled" up the center aisle of St. Joseph's and the whole church moved. Even the stove pipe creaked. So that week Peter McAllister, Tom and John Nugent brought over some cement blocks. They crawled under the church and braced up the barn type beams that ran under the structure and put wedges in so that there would be no give as Father Flaherty came up the center aisle.

     With such an historic church building and one with such "character" it’s not surprising that everyone was so saddened when the wind storm carried away the roof in 1964. It was a violent storm which lifted practically the whole roof off scattering it on the tombstones at the east side of the church. Many in the parish wanted to see the church restored and used again. However, at that time, they were desperately attempting to get the parish going in Elfrida, and with a mission church in Binbrook and a church in Elfrida on 20 Highway, the congregation would have been split. It was thought that by centralizing, the parish would be brought together and, of course, at that time Elfrida seemed a more central location. The decision was made to demolish the building with dispersements to the following. The vestments went to Elfrida. Its unknown where the candlesticks and other objects went. Many of the pews were broken up and others were sold to parishioners. The wood and beams were used by the Vanderzanden family to build a barn. It was the end of the church that was built initially around 1830 as far as some reports go and lasted well over a hundred years until 1964. The plots where the church stood were sold and the cemetery presently is nearly all occupied. The only indication that the church ever existed is the short cement walk to its former front door, and a sign that was erected in 2005 by the Catholic Cemeteries.

     The following is a special article that came from the Canadian Register in December of 1956. This paper was put out specially for the Centenary of the Hamilton Diocese, 1856 - 1956. There are articles in the newspaper from each parish in the Diocese, and the one that was submitted for the parish in Elfrida is as follows:

Our Lady of the Assumption Church, Elfrida, number of families - 70, number of souls 300, parish established - 1951, Sunday masses 9:00 a.m. or 10:30 a.m. (alternating with Binbrook).

Expected future development brought about the formation of this relatively new parish of Our Lady of the Assumption in Elfrida by Bishop Ryan in July, 1951. Located on Highway 53, it is about 10 miles from the center of the City of Hamilton. Presently (1956), Hamilton population is beginning to spill over onto Elfrida territory. At the time of its establishment as a parish, Binbrook and Tapleytown were attached as dependent missions. First pastor to be named was a Sacred Heart Father, Rev. James De Jonge, S.C.J., who for a few months resided at St. Patrick's rectory, Caledonia, later taking up residence in Elfrida at the home of William Corrigan.

Arrangements were made by Father De Jonge to move a house from Holy Family Camp at Grimsby Beach in 1952. This house was placed on the property acquired from William Corrigan and adjacent to the latter's residence. Just when this rectory was ready for occupancy, it was gutted by fire in August, 1952. Undaunted, the Pastor formed plans for the construction of a new parish house aided by funds received from other parishes in the Hamilton Diocese. The new rectory was opened by Bishop Ryan on September 20, 1953.


Gutted Elfrida Rectory - Fire demolished the greater portion of the new
Assumption Parish house at Elfrida. This building was in
the completion stage and was completely furnished. All furnishings
were destroyed. The rectory had been transferred from Holy Family Camp
to the new site and was ready for occupation by the pastor,
Rev. James A. De Jonge, S.C.J. (Staff photo by Bochsler)
Although the missions of Binbrook and Tapleytown possessed church buildings at the time of the formation of this parish, there was no church in Elfrida. A mission chapel had been set up in Tapleytown in 1949 as a mission of St. Francis Xavier Parish, Fruitland. This chapel, dedicated in honour of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was blessed by Vicar General G. L. Cassidy on December 18, 1949. When Elfrida was constituted a parish in 1951, Tapleytown became dependent on the new parish. As time passed, it was realized that there was a greater need for a church building in the immediate Elfrida area than in the Tapleytown district. Thus, arrangements were made to transfer the Tapleytown church building to the Elfrida property in 1955. Mass was first celebrated in this building on its new site at Christmas of that year. During the following months, various improvements were affected.

Rev. T. G. Hill was appointed pastor in June, 1956. Residents of Tapleytown came to Elfrida for Mass at the present time. The Sacrament of Confirmation was first administered in the newly located structure by Bishop Ryan in July, 1956.

     The mission of Binbrook has a much earlier history. Receiving the title of St. Joseph's Church, this edifice was constructed in 1800s. Periodic priestly visits were made by missionaries stationed in Smithville (Toronto Archdiocese). It became a mission attached to Caledonia in 1856. For some years prior to 1921 it was attached to St. Patrick's Parish, Hamilton. When Sacred Heart Parish in Hamilton was formed in 1921, Binbrook became its mission until the formation of Elfrida parish in 1951. The present Catholic population of Elfrida and missions is figured at 360.