North_Yarmouth_and_Freeport_Baptist_Meetinghouse

North Yarmouth and Freeport Baptist Meetinghouse

North Yarmouth and Freeport Baptist Meetinghouse

Historic church in Maine, United States


The North Yarmouth and Freeport Baptist Meetinghouse, also known as the Old Baptist Meeting House, is an historic church on Hillside Street in Yarmouth, Maine. Built in 1796 and twice altered in the 19th century, it is believed to be the oldest surviving church built for a Baptist congregation in the state of Maine.[2] It is now owned by the town and maintained by a local non-profit organization.

Quick Facts Location, Coordinates ...

Description

The North Yarmouth and Freeport Baptist Meetinghouse is located on the west side of Hillside Street, a short way south of Maine State Route 115 on the west side of Yarmouth village. It is a tall single-story wood frame structure, with a gabled roof and clapboard siding. The front facade is five bays wide, the central three projecting in a gable-topped section from which the church tower rises. The central section has three doors, the outer ones topped by lancet-arched windows, the center one framed by pilasters and a corniced entablature. Windows on the front are tall lancet-arched sash, while those on the sides are rectangular sash. The tower has a square first stage, with an open octagonal belfry topped by a conical flush-boarded spire.[2]

History

The church building was constructed in 1796 by the local Baptist congregation. Reverend Thomas Green, one of its seven original members, was elected its first pastor.[3] In 1889 the Baptist congregation moved to its current location at 346 Main Street. The following year, George W. Hammond and his wife, Ellen, purchased the meetinghouse and re-opened it as the Hillside Library and Antiquarian Society.[4] In 1910 they donated the building to the town, and it was used for town meetings until 1946. During World War II the building was used by the Civilian Defense System as an observation post, looking for enemy aircraft. In 1946 the Village Improvement Society took over responsibility for the interior of the building. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. Major renovations occurred in the early 2000s. The building is currently available for weddings and other events.[5]

Cemetery

The Old Baptist Cemetery is adjacent to the meetinghouse on its southern side. Immediately inside the gate, on the left-hand side, is a billboard-style trio of gravestones — one of two in the cemetery, but only around forty are known to have been found in Maine.[6]

See also


References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. "Yarmouth Baptist Church, Maine". baptisthistoryhomepage.com. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  3. History & Mission – Merrill Memorial Library
  4. Kelley Bouchard, "Steeplejacks nail high spire act," The Portland Press Herald (9/22/11), http://www.pressherald.com/news/steeplejacks-nail-high-spire-act-in-yarmouth_2011-09-22.doc

Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article North_Yarmouth_and_Freeport_Baptist_Meetinghouse, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.