New Sharon Congregational Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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New Sharon Congregational Church
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Location | 21 Cape Cod Hill Road, New Sharon, Maine |
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| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1845 |
| Architectural style | Mid 19th Century Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 85001261 |
| Added to NRHP | June 20, 1985 |
The New Sharon Congregational Church is a special old building in New Sharon, Maine. It's located at 21 Cape Cod Hill Road. This church was built way back in 1845. It's made of brick and looks like a classic Greek temple, which is called Greek Revival architecture. The church is a very important part of the town's history and its center. Because it's so old and important, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. Today, it's part of the United Church of Christ.
Contents
Discovering the Church's Design and Past
How the Church Looks
The New Sharon Congregational Church is a rectangular building made of brick. It faces southeast and sits on a small hill. This spot gives it a great view of New Sharon's town center. The roof has a front-facing gable, which means it slopes down from the front. The front part of the roof is covered in clapboards, like a triangle.
Rising from the roof behind the front is a tall tower. The tower starts with a square section. This part has wide, arched windows that look like lancets. These windows are divided by a thin strip and are covered in clapboards. On top of this section is a low railing and small corner towers.
The next part of the tower is an eight-sided belfry. This is where the church bell would be. It has arched openings with louvers, which are like angled slats. A thin railing with small towers sits on top of the belfry. The very top of the tower has a slightly bell-shaped, eight-sided dome and a weathervane.
The front of the church has two doors placed evenly on each side. There is also a tall window in the middle. The only fancy brickwork is at the corners and along the roofline. These parts stick out a bit, like pillars and a decorative band.
A Look at Its History
The church building you see today was built in 1845. It replaced an older wooden church that was destroyed by fire. The first church was built in 1816. It was a common meeting house for four different religious groups. These groups included the Baptists, Methodists, and Unitarians.
Over time, the Baptists, Methodists, and Unitarians built their own churches. This left the original building for the Congregationalists. The hill where the church stands has a large grassy area. This area is the closest thing New Sharon has to a town common, a central gathering spot.
See also
