Former Free Will Baptist Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Free Will Baptist Church (Former)
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Location | Jct. of High St. and Highland Ave., Milo, Maine |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1853 |
| Architectural style | Mid 19th Century Revival, Late Victorian |
| NRHP reference No. | 00001205 |
| Added to NRHP | October 12, 2000 |
The Former Free Will Baptist Church is a special old building in Milo, Maine. It was once a church, but now it's home to the Milo Historical Society Museum. This building was built in 1853 and was the very first church in Milo. It was first used by two different church groups, the Baptists and the Free Will Baptists. Later, it became only for the Free Will Baptists. Since 1996, it has been a museum that shares the history of the local area. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000, which means it's an important historical site.
Contents
About the Old Church Building
This old church is a single-story building made of wood. It has a pointed roof at the front. A tall, square tower stands on one corner of the building. At the top of the tower, there's a bell tower with a pointed roof.
The front of the building has a big group of four windows. Above these windows, there's a small roof-like cover. There's also a round, arched opening higher up on the front. The main door is next to the tower. It has a small porch with fancy wooden decorations. The sides of the building also have several windows. Inside, the church looks almost the same as it did after its last big update around 1900.
A Look Back: The Church's History
How the Church Began
The Free Will Baptist church group in Milo started in 1827. This was the first organized church group in the community. Later, in 1840, another group called the Baptist congregation joined them. For many years, both groups talked about building a church.
Nothing happened until 1853. A local farmer named William Owen, who was a Baptist, decided to pay for and manage the building of the church himself. He built the main part of the church. Mr. Owen got some of his money back by selling seats, called pews, inside the church.
Sharing the Space and Changes Over Time
Both the Baptist and Free Will Baptist groups used the building until 1888. That's when the Baptists moved to their own separate building.
Around 1900, the Free Will Baptists made some big changes to the church. They added the tall tower and made the outside look more decorative. They also redecorated the inside. In 1913, the Free Will Baptists and the Baptists officially joined together. They decided to use the Baptist church building on Pleasant Street instead.
After that, other church groups used this building for a while. Then, in 1996, the Milo Historical Society bought it. Now, it's a museum where you can learn all about Milo's past!
See Also
