18th September, 2025
- For the second 100 years of the history of Ebenezer Church, the bread oven is remembered as shown in Image 1. It was basically a rectangular sandstone structure with a single chamber on the side facing the river.
- A school began in the church in 1810 and for many years several pupils actually resided at the school in the care of the teacher and his wife.
- They did this because of the distance they had to travel to school and the dangerous they may face when walking along lonely tracks through the bush. It is believed that the bread baked in this oven was for the pupils of the church school.
- However, it also appears that originally the oven may have been of a different structure and had other uses. Image 2 suggests that it was originally the chimney of a timber slab building. This building, one of several hardwood slab buildings on the church grounds, may have had two uses.
- In the first place it may have been the Home of church pioneers Owen and Margaret Cavanough who settled on their land Grant in 1803. In times of inclement weather the early settlers may have worshipped in this building.
- In later years it may have been used as a kitchen for the teacher. The teacher and his family resided in the Schoolmaster's house that was built in 1817.
- It is most likely then that the bread oven is the oldest structure on the grounds of Ebenezer Church.
