Porter Old Meetinghouse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Porter Old Meetinghouse
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Postcard view, c. 1922
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Porter, Maine |
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| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1818 |
| NRHP reference No. | 73000267 |
| Added to NRHP | April 02, 1973 |
The Porter Old Meetinghouse is a very old and important building in Porter, Maine, United States. It's called a meeting house because it was a place where people gathered for both church services and town meetings. This special building was constructed between 1818 and 1824. It's a great example of how meeting houses looked in rural Maine a long time ago. Because of its history, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
Contents
What is the Porter Old Meetinghouse?
The Porter Old Meetinghouse is a building made of wood. It stands about two and a half stories tall. It has a roof that slopes down on two sides, called a side gable roof. The building sits on a strong foundation made of granite stone.
It is about 44.5 feet (13.6 m) wide and 36.5 feet (11.1 m) deep. The outside walls are covered with wooden boards called clapboards. The roof is made of corrugated metal. There are two main doors at the front. Each door has granite steps leading up to it. Above each door, there are small windows that let in light.
Inside the Meetinghouse
Inside, the meetinghouse is mostly one big room. There is a balcony, or "gallery," on three sides of the room. The walls are covered in plaster, and you can still see the marks from when it was first put on.
The main floor has many original box pews. These are like small, enclosed seating areas. The pulpit, which is where the speaker stands, is not the original one. It was rebuilt in 1969 using old plans and some parts from the first pulpit.
History of the Building
Construction of the meetinghouse began in 1818. It was mostly finished by 1819, but it took until 1824 to be completely done. The first group to use the building was a church called the Freewill Baptist organization. Their leader was Reverend Jeremiah Bullock. People in the area sometimes called them "Bullockites".
Besides church services, the building was also used for town meetings. This is why it's called a "meeting house." It was a central place for both religious and community activities. Today, the Town of Porter owns this historic building.
See also
