Mercer Union Meetinghouse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Mercer Union Meetinghouse
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Location | Main St., 1/10 mi. W of jct. with US 2, Mercer, Maine |
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| Area | 0.5 acres (0.20 ha) |
| Built | 1829 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival, Gothic Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 06001223 |
| Added to NRHP | January 9, 2007 |
The Mercer Union Meetinghouse is a special old church building located in Mercer, Maine. It was built in 1829. What makes this church unique is that it was designed for several different church groups to share. This was quite unusual for its time.
The building also shows a cool mix of older and newer building styles, like Greek Revival and Gothic designs. Its tower, which sits partly over the entrance, is another interesting and uncommon feature. Because of its history and unique design, the Mercer Union Meetinghouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.
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Exploring the Mercer Meetinghouse
The Mercer Union Meetinghouse stands on the north side of Main Street. It is a rectangular building made of wood. At the front, there is a section that sticks out, called a vestibule.
Building Design and Features
The roof of the meetinghouse is shaped like a triangle, called a gable roof. This roof extends over the vestibule. The vestibule itself has a large, rounded window in the middle, which looks like a Gothic arch. On either side of this window, there are two identical entrances.
The church's square tower rises partly over the vestibule and partly over the main part of the building. The bottom part of the tower has simple wooden siding. The top part, where the bells would be, has smooth boards and openings with slats. The tower is topped with small spires and a decorative railing.
Inside, the doorways lead into separate small entryways. From these entryways, you can go into the main hall. The church pews are a mix of old styles. They are set in groups, and their ends are painted to look like wood grain, which is a unique detail. The lower parts of the walls are covered with wood panels, and the upper parts, along with the ceiling, are covered with decorative pressed tin.
The Mercer Union Meetinghouse was built in 1829. It was meant to be a place where different church groups could meet and worship. Before this building, the Methodists and Congregationalists in town did not have their own permanent church.
Money for the building was also raised by selling pews to Universalists, another church group. They also used the building for their services. By 1857, it seems the Congregationalists were the main users of the building. However, their group stopped meeting in the early 1900s.
After that, the Methodists used the building again, but only during certain seasons. Today, the Mercer Meetinghouse Association, a local non-profit group, owns and takes care of this historic building.
See also
