Springfield Congregational Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Springfield Congregational Church
|
|
 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | ME 6, Springfield, Maine |
|---|---|
| Area | 0.5 acres (0.20 ha) |
| Built | 1852 |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 78000193 |
| Added to NRHP | December 22, 1978 |
The Springfield Congregational Church is a really old and beautiful church in Springfield, Maine. It was built way back in 1852. This church is special because it's built in a style called Gothic Revival. Even though it's in a quiet, rural area, it looks very elegant and well-made. Because it's so important, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. This means it's recognized as a historic landmark!
Contents
Discovering the Church's Design
The Springfield Congregational Church is located right in the middle of Springfield's small village. You can find it on the north side of Maine State Route 6. It's a single-story building made of wood. It has a pointed roof at the front and a strong granite foundation.
What Makes It Look Gothic?
The church has a tall, square tower on one corner. This tower has three levels and looks like it has strong supports at its corners. Right in the middle of the front of the church, there's a cool window with three parts. It goes up into the pointed part of the roof. The main door is at the bottom of the tower. It's shaped like a pointed arch, which is a classic Gothic style.
The tower also has more Gothic windows on its second level. The third level has a special three-leaf design on each side. At the very top, there's an open bell tower. It has posts at the corners that look like small towers themselves. These are connected by a fancy railing. The sides of the church have five windows, all shaped like pointed Gothic arches.
Inside the Church Building
Inside, the church used to have an open roof structure with wooden beams. This is called "open trusswork." It was a very cool design! However, at some point, a flat ceiling was added below it. This covered up the original roof structure.
A Look at the Church's History
The town of Springfield was started in 1830. It's in a rural part of Penobscot County, where people mostly farmed. The church group, called a congregation, began in 1846. They built this church building in 1852. It cost $2500 to build, which was a lot of money back then!
Community and Changes Over Time
The church congregation has always been quite small. For a short time during the Great Depression, the group even stopped meeting. They have also shared a minister with another church in Lincoln. This helped both communities. In 1946, electricity was finally added to the church building. This was a big change! We don't know who the architect was who designed this beautiful church.
See also
