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 really old and important building. It is located at 12 High Street in Milo, Maine. Today, it is home to the Milo Historical Society Museum. You can learn all about the town's past there!
This building was constructed in 1853. It was Milo's very first church. At first, two different church groups shared it. These were the Baptist and Free Will Baptist congregations. Later, the Free Will Baptists owned it completely. Since 1996, it has been the local history museum. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. This means it is a special place in history.
What Does the Building Look Like?
The church is a single-story building. It is made of wood. The outside walls are covered with clapboard siding. The roof in the front has a pointed shape.
A square tower stands next to the main part of the building. It is on the southwest corner. The tower has a bell tower at the top. It also has a pyramid-shaped roof.
The front of the building faces southwest. It has a big group of four windows in the middle. These windows have two panes of glass on top and two on the bottom. There is a small roof above them. A round, arched opening is in the pointed part of the roof.
The main door is between the windows and the tower. A small porch covers the entrance. This porch has fancy, cut-out decorations. The left side of the building has two windows in the main hall. There is one window in the tower. The right side has three similar windows. The inside of the building looks almost the same as it did around 1900.
A Look Back at the Church's History
The Free Will Baptist group in Milo started in 1827. This was the first organized church group in the community. A Baptist group joined them in 1840. For many years, the two groups talked about building a church. But nothing happened except for some land being given.
Then, in 1853, a local farmer named William Owen stepped in. He was a member of the Baptist group. He decided to pay for and manage the building of the main part of the church. It was built in a style called Greek Revival. Owen got some money back by selling seats in the church.
Both church groups used the building until 1888. That year, the Baptists moved to their own building.
Around 1900, the Free Will Baptists made big changes to the building. They added the tower. They also added fancy Queen Anne style decorations to the outside. The inside was redecorated too. In 1913, their group officially joined with the Baptists. They then used the Baptist church building on Pleasant Street.
After that, other church groups used this building. These included Christian Scientist and Episcopal congregations. In 1996, the Milo Historical Society bought the building. They have used it as a museum ever since.
See Also
