Bell Hill Meetinghouse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Bell Hill Meetinghouse
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Location | 191 Bell Hill Rd., Otisfield, Maine |
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| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1839 |
| Architect | Nutting, Nathan Jr. |
| Architectural style | Federal, Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 03000620 |
| Added to NRHP | July 10, 2003 |
The Bell Hill Meetinghouse is a very old church building in Otisfield, Maine. You can find it at 191 Bell Hill Road. A skilled local builder named Nathan Nutting Jr. built it. He lived from 1804 to 1867. This building is a great example of two old building styles mixed together: Federal and Greek Revival. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. This helps protect it so it can be enjoyed for many more years.
Contents
Exploring the Bell Hill Meetinghouse
The Bell Hill Meetinghouse is located at the top of Bell Hill in Otisfield, Maine. It sits on the east side of Bell Hill Road. This building is made of wood and has one main floor. It has a rectangular shape.
What Does It Look Like?
The front of the church faces west. It has a part that sticks out in the middle. A square bell tower rises from the roof near the front. The roof is shaped like a triangle (a gable roof).
The part that sticks out has two doors. Each door has a fan-shaped window above it with slats, called a louvered fan. Above these are small square windows, also with louvered fans. The front of this section, like the main front of the church, has a triangular shape called a pediment.
Tall windows are on either side of the projecting part. These windows have twelve panes on the top and twelve on the bottom. They also have louvered fans above them. The long sides of the building (north and south) have the same type of windows. All the windows have wooden shutters. The outside of the building is covered in vinyl siding. But its original decorative parts have been carefully kept.
The Bell Tower
The first part of the tower is square and simple. Above this is an open section. It has square posts at the corners. These posts are decorated with flat, column-like shapes called pilasters. A low railing is between the posts on all four sides. The church bell hangs in this open space.
The posts hold up a decorative band called an entablature. Above this is a curved molding called an ogeed cornice. On top of this is a dome. The dome is surrounded by a low, narrow railing called a balustrade. This railing is set between small columns at the corners. A copper spire sits at the very top of the dome.
History of the Meetinghouse
The Bell Hill Meetinghouse was built between 1838 and 1839. It was built by Nathan Nutting, Jr. He grew up on a family farm in the area. But he learned woodworking skills in Boston, Massachusetts. After his training, he came back to Otisfield.
Nathan Nutting Jr.'s Work
Most of Nathan Nutting Jr.'s building projects in the area were homes. His most famous house is his family home, built in 1824. In the 1830s, he was hired to build churches. He built churches in at least six different towns nearby.
This church was built to replace an older meetinghouse from the 1700s. The old building had been badly damaged by strong wind and rain. It's possible that this damage made the town ask Nutting to build this new church quickly. He might have used a plan he had already used for a church in Waterford.
How the Church Was Used
The church was used regularly for services until about 1887. Then, in 1913, annual services started up again. Today, the Bell Hill Meetinghouse Association owns the building. It is used for special services and events like weddings.
See also
