Hampden Congregational Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Hampden Congregational Church
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Location | Main Rd. N, Hampden, Maine |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1835 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival, Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 87000921 |
| Added to NRHP | June 25, 1987 |
The Hampden Congregational Church is a very old and important building located at 101 Main Road North in Hampden, Maine. It was built in 1835 for a group of people who started meeting as a church in 1817. This church building shows a cool mix of different building styles, like Federal, Greek Revival, and Italianate. Because of its history and unique look, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. This list helps protect important historical places in the United States.
Contents
About the Church Building
The Hampden Congregational Church is found near the center of Hampden village. It's on the east side of Main Street North, which is also known as United States Route 1A and Maine State Route 9.
What It Looks Like
The church is a rectangular building made of wood. It has a roof that slopes down from the front, and its sides are covered with clapboard, which are long, thin boards. The corners of the building have flat, column-like decorations called pilasters. These support decorative bands that run along the sides.
The front of the church faces west and looks very balanced. It has a part that sticks out, which is an enclosed entrance area. Above this entrance, there's a round-arch window with more pilasters on each side. The entrance area itself has four columns that support a decorative band and a gently sloped roof. The main entrance has double doors in the middle.
The Tower
A tall, square tower rises above the roof of the church. This tower has three main parts. The first two parts are quite short. The top of the second part has a wide overhang. Above this is the belfry, which is where bells would be. It has wide corner boards and round-arch openings with railings. The roof above the belfry has small tooth-like decorations and brackets above the corners. A weathervane sits on top of the tower's low, pyramid-shaped roof.
Church History
The church group, or congregation, first started in 1817. They first met in the Hampden Academy building. Later, the congregation became part of the United Church of Christ.
Building the Church
Land for the church building was given in 1834. The church you see today was built in 1835. We don't know who designed the building. When it was first built, it showed a great mix of Federal and Greek Revival styles. The entrance area makes it stand out from other buildings from that time.
The Italianate style tower was likely added later, around the 1860s. It's thought that a famous architect from Bangor, named Benjamin Deane, might have designed the tower. He also designed a very similar tower on the Washington County Courthouse in Machias.
Recent Changes
Because fewer people were attending services, the church congregation decided to stop meeting in early 2023. The very last church service was held on June 25, 2023. Even though the building is no longer used as a church and is for sale, a helpful group called the Hampden Neighborhood Food Cupboard still uses the building to help people in the community.
See also
