Spurwink Congregational Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Spurwink Congregational Church
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Location | 533 Spurwink Ave., Cape Elizabeth, Maine |
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| Area | 0.5 acres (0.20 ha) |
| Built | 1802 |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000044 |
| Added to NRHP | May 19, 1970 |
The Spurwink Congregational Church is a very old and special building in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. It stands at 533 Spurwink Avenue. Built way back in 1802, it is the oldest public building in the whole town!
For many years, people used it as a church. The church community was active until 1957. Now, the town owns this historic building. It is used as a place for community events and gatherings. Because of its history, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. This list helps protect important places in the United States.
Contents
Discovering the Spurwink Church
The Spurwink Church sits on a small hill. It is located near the Spurwink River in western Cape Elizabeth. You can find it where Spurwink Avenue meets Bowery Beach Road (which is also Maine State Route 77).
What Does It Look Like?
This church is made mostly of wood. It has a rectangular shape with a pointed roof. The outside walls are covered with clapboard siding. This is a type of overlapping wooden board. The building rests on a strong foundation made of granite stone.
Special Features of the Church
A small entrance area sticks out from the front of the church. It has its own pointed roof. Above this entrance, a tall, square tower rises up. The bottom part of the tower is plain. The top part is a belfry. This is where the church bell would have been. It has round, arched openings with slats. At the very top of the tower, there is a dome-shaped spire. A weathervane sits on top of the spire.
The entrance area itself is quite simple. It has a triangular gable at the top. There are two doors, one on each side. Each door has flat columns next to it. A decorative trim piece is above each door. Windows are found on the sides and back of the church. Many of these windows have a cool fan-shaped design above them. This design looks a bit like a Gothic arch.
Inside the church, many original parts are still there. You can see the old box pews. These are like small, enclosed seating areas. There is also an old chandelier. It used to be powered by kerosene lamps.
A Look at Its History
The first group of church members started as part of another church. This was the second parish of South Portland. Back then, South Portland was actually part of Cape Elizabeth. This was true until 1895.
The church building was finished in 1802. It had a big update and repair in 1830. The church became its own independent group in 1905. It had a community of members for many years. However, the number of members slowly went down. In 1957, the building was given to the town of Cape Elizabeth.
See also
