Sewall Memorial Congregational Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Sewall Memorial Congregational Church
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Location | 558 U.S. Route 1, Robbinston, Maine |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1911 |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian |
| NRHP reference No. | 12001070 |
| Added to NRHP | December 19, 2012 |
The Sewall Memorial Congregational Church is a special old church in Robbinston, Maine. It stands on United States Route 1 and was built in 1911. This church is the only building in Robbinston that shows the Late Victorian style, especially the Queen Anne design, which means it has an uneven or "asymmetrical" shape.
The church's group of followers, called its congregation, started way back in the early 1800s. Because of its history and unique style, the church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012. It is connected to the United Church of Christ.
About the Sewall Memorial Church
The Sewall Memorial Church is located on the west side of US 1. It sits across from the Redclyffe Motel and looks out over the beautiful St. Croix River.
What the Church Looks Like
The church is a tall building made of wood. It has one main story and is covered mostly with flat wooden boards called clapboards. You can also see some cool decorative wooden shingles on parts of it. The church sits on a strong base made of concrete blocks and stone. There's a special granite stone at the corner that says 1809–10.
The roof at the front of the church has a pointed shape, like a triangle, which is called a gable. A square tower sticks out a little from the front left side. The main door is at the bottom of this tower. It has a small, gabled porch over it to keep you dry. Higher up on the tower, there are windows with pointed arches, called lancet arches. The very top of the tower has a pyramid-shaped roof with smaller roofs, called dormers. These dormers have arched openings with slats, called louvers.
The front of the church has a big, beautiful stained-glass window with a pointed arch. The sides of the church have smaller stained-glass windows, all spaced out evenly and also with arches. At the back of the building, there's a smaller room called a vestry, which is also one story tall.
History of the Church
The Robbinston Congregational Church group was first started in 1811. They built their very first meeting house on this same spot in 1841.
However, in July 1910, something unexpected happened. The building was hit by lightning and burned down! Luckily, many important historical items from inside were saved. The church you see today was built soon after this fire. A lot of the money for the new building came from the children of Reverend David Sewall. He had been the pastor there from 1842 to 1859. Because of their generous help, the church was renamed in honor of the Sewall family.
The church's congregation became very small and quiet for about 20 years, starting in the 1970s. But in the 1990s, the group became active again, and the building was fixed up. We don't know who the architect was who designed this church. It's one of only 18 historic churches in Maine (built before 1930) that has this unique design with an uneven side tower.
See also
