Clough Meeting House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Clough Meeting House
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Location | 32 South Lisbon Rd., Lewiston, Maine |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1846 |
| Built by | Garcelon, Henry |
| NRHP reference No. | 13000438 |
| Added to NRHP | June 25, 2013 |
The Clough Meeting House is an old and special church building. It is also known as the Second Free Will Baptist Church. You can find it at 32 South Lisbon Road in Lewiston, Maine. This historic church was built in 1846 for a group called the Free Will Baptists. It's famous for two main things: its "reverse plan" design and its unique painted inside walls. The "reverse plan" means the pulpit (where the speaker stands) is at the back, not the front. Because of its history and special features, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.
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Discovering the Clough Meeting House
The Clough Meeting House is in a quiet part of southern Lewiston. It sits on the north side of South Lisbon Road. Right across the street is the Clough Cemetery. This building is a simple, one-story wooden structure. It has a pointed roof and its sides are covered with clapboard (overlapping wooden boards).
What Does the Church Look Like Inside?
The front of the church has two doors. These doors are placed evenly, with a window in the middle. Each side of the building has three windows. When you go inside, the doors lead into two separate small rooms called vestibules. These rooms are separated by a raised area. This raised area is where the pulpit is located.
From these vestibules, you enter the main hall. This hall takes up most of the building. At the very back of the hall, there is a "singing stand." This is like a choir loft, a raised platform for singers. Most of the hall is filled with long wooden benches called pews. These pews face the front of the building. The pulpit is in a special curved space between the two vestibules. This space has a smooth, curved ceiling.
Unique Interior Painting and Design
One of the most interesting things about the Clough Meeting House is its interior painting. Some parts of the inside walls are painted to look like fancy wood grain. This is called "grain-painted." Other parts have a special "smoke painting" technique. This also gives a grainy look. These unique painting styles make the church very special.
History of the Clough Meeting House
The Clough Meeting House was built in 1846. A local farmer named Henry Garcelon built it. This church is one of only a few in Maine that was designed with the "reverse plan" from the start. This design was popular with the Free Will Baptists at that time.
The well-preserved painting inside is also very important. The smoke painting on the stairs leading to the front and back platforms is not seen anywhere else in Maine. Records from the church, now kept by the Androscoggin County Historical Society, show exactly how the church was built.
Regular church services were held here until about 1917. After that, the building was sold to the Clough Cemetery Association. This group now takes care of the historic building.
See also
