maine churches

All Soul’s Chapel, Poland Springs // 1912

Buildings of New England2 Comments

As part of the ever-growing Poland Springs Resort in Poland, Maine, the operators of the Poland Springs Hotel sought to erect a house of worship for guests and local community members. In 1909, fundraising had risen to total of $15,000 and that, along with a matching contribution by the Ricker Family, who owned the Poland Springs Resort, allowed for the hiring of an architect and the project to commence. Boston-area architect George Henri Desmond furnished the plans for the chapel, and were also hired by the Ricker family to complete plans for alterations to the Mt. Kineo House on Moosehead Lake during the same time period. All Souls Chapel is a Neo-Gothic Revival building constructed of irregular granite blocks with a gable roof covered with slate. It has a central tower with a flat parapet roof and a belfry with ornate louvered openings. The tower is square in plan and contains the principal entrance to the chapel. When the chapel was opened in 1912, it was opened as an interdenominational place of worship for use by Catholics and Protestants. Guests contributed much of the interior furnishings and all of the memorial hand-painted windows placed in the chapel were sponsored by guests or relatives of longtime guests. Today, the chapel hosts weddings, baptisms, and other similar events.

First Parish Congregational Church of Pownal // 1811

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

Completed in 1811, the First Parish Congregational Church of Pownal, Maine, is an excellent and well-preserved example of a vernacular Federal-period church in a rural setting. Located across from Mallett Hall and built at the foot of Bradbury Mountain, the church was built by a crew headed by master-carpenter Uriel Whitney, a Revolutionary War veteran who moved to the area after the war. He was active in this church and is buried in the church cemetery. Little remains of the original Federal Style architecture, as its current Greek Revival Style (architects unknown) dates from remodeling apparently undertaken in 1838 and 1857.

New Gloucester Universalist Meeting House // 1839

Buildings of New England1 Comment

Constructed in 1839 by local carpenter/builder Jeremiah Cotton, the Universalist Meeting House of New Gloucester, Maine, is a dignified example of the Greek Revival style in a rural context. The First Universalist Society of Christians in New Gloucester was organized in 1805 with members drawn from nearby communities including those of Gray and Poland. In 1830, the congregation reorganized itself into the First Universalist Society of New Gloucester and Pownal. During its early history services were apparently held at various places in the community for it was not until November of 1838 that a meeting was called “…to take such measures for Building a meeting house as a majority of Subscribers or proprietors may think proper.” After World War I, membership began to decline and from the 1930s until the society’s demise in 1957 services were infrequently held. In 1969 the property was acquired by the New Gloucester Historical Society, who maintained and restored the building. The flushboard siding, fully pedimented gable, pilasters, and symmetrical façade containing two entry doors, all work together to display the Greek Revival style in a high-style example, but in a rural setting. The building appears to be opened periodically by the Historical Society.

All Saints by-the-Sea Episcopal Church // 1905

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

Possibly my favorite type of building in Maine are the historic Episcopal summer chapels that sprouted up along the coast in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This is the All Saints by-the-Sea Episcopal Church of Southport, Maine, an island community with many summer residents. This church had its beginnings when Reverend John Thomas Magrath of Gardiner, Maine, would visit Southport in the summers and hold services for rusticators under the oak trees or in the cottage living room if the weather was poor. Eventually, a member of the congregation purchased a lot on the east side of Southport on the rugged coastline, and planning began for a chapel. In 1905, the chapel was designed by architect, Albert Hall in a rustic blending of the Shingle and Tudor styles. The building exhibits shingle siding with half-timbering, the original diamond-pane windows, and a large entry porch off the entrance.

Southport United Methodist Church // 1904

Buildings of New England1 Comment

The Southport United Methodist Church of Southport sits cross the street from the Town Hall of Southport, Maine, and is one of the best examples of a Shingle style church in the state. The modestly sized church was built in 1904, shortly after a fire destroyed the local Methodist congregation’s former church building. Members hired the great Maine architect, John Calvin Stevens, who had just joined in a professional partnership with his son, John Howard Stevens, to design the new church. It remains as one of the more notable architectural landmarks in the town of roughly 600 year-round residents.

Riverside Methodist Church, Porter // 1883

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

The focal point of the riverside village of Kezar Falls in Porter, Maine, is this large frame church building with prominent siting and grand proportions. This is the Riverside Methodist Church, built in 1883 in the Stick/Eastlake style by Portland architect Charles H. Kimball. The first Methodist services held in the town of Porter were in 1833, when a church was formed in the small town. Soon after 1839, a gable-roofed meetinghouse with tall lancet windows was erected near where the present church stands. The original church still stands, but in a much-altered form and was used as a local fire station. The church remains owned by local Methodists and is well-preserved.

Head Tide Church // 1838

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

In the early 19th century, Head Tide was a bustling village within the Town of Alna, Maine, supported by mills at the dam, agriculture and apple orchards, boat building, fishing and forestry. As Head Tide grew in population, village leaders determined to build their own Congregational church so they would not have to travel the three miles to the 1789 Meeting House in Alna Center. The Head Tide Church in Alna, Maine was dedicated in November 1838 and sits on a hill overlooking the village. The Head Tide Church is a handsome rural Maine house of worship which exhibits a combination of Federal style, Greek Revival, and Gothic Revival elements in its design. The facade displays the outline of a Grecian temple front with its six pilasters and strongly accented triangular pediment. The Federal fan motif appears above the two facade windows as well as in the center of the pediment and the Gothic Revival influence is felt in the two pointed arch windows on either side of the church and in the simple pinnacle at the top of each corner of the belfry. The church is a high-style building for the rural Maine village and is kept very well by the community. The congregation disbanded, but the church remains an important part of the town and is rented for memorial services, events, weddings.

St. Denis Catholic Church // 1838

Buildings of New England5 Comments

Believe it or not, this church in rural Whitefield, Maine is the second oldest Catholic Church in New England! As Irish and French Canadian families settled in this part of Maine in the early 19th century, Catholic churches were needed to provide worship space for those families. The church community of St. Denis began in 1818 when Father Dennis Patrick Ryan, an Irish immigrant serving at St. Patrick Church in Newcastle (the oldest Catholic Church in New England), moved to Whitefield to serve the influx of Irish Catholics and soon founded the church. Fr. Ryan oversaw the construction on a wood-frame structure built on this site. As more Catholic families settled here, a more permanent building was needed, and between 1833 and 1838, the main portion of the present brick church building was constructed around that original church. The tower was added in 1861, and the stained glass windows also date from later in the 19th century following the growth and prosperity of the church and its members. The St. Denis Parish House was constructed across the street in 1871 and is a lovely Romanesque style building.

Bunker Hill Baptist Church // 1889

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

The Second Baptist Church of Jefferson, Maine, was organized in 1808 and originally rented a schoolhouse for its services. After eighty years of cramped-quarters, the members of the church had enough funds to erect their own purpose-built church, this stunning edifice on Bunker Hill Road, in West Jefferson. The congregation broke ground in 1889 and the church was dedicated in January of 1890. Apparently, the belfry was originally at the center of the roof, but the heavy bell required a new steeple to be built at the corner, in its present configuration. This well-preserved church building was a treat to stumble upon when driving through the town.

Jackson Congregational Church // c.1812

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment
Image courtesy of Amy Higgins.

In the year 1812, Jackson, Maine, was organized as a plantation, and the Congregational Church of Jackson was organized the same year with Rev. Silas Warren, as its Pastor. Mr. Warren was born in Weston, Massachusetts and graduated from Harvard University in 1795. He was ordained as Pastor of the Jackson and Brooks Church in 1812 when it opened. The town of Jackson has not grown much since then (610 according to 2020 census) and has maintained its very rural character. The Congregational Church here was likely more vernacular when built and given the belfry after the Civil War. Gotta love these old churches on back roads!