Union Meeting House (Appleton, Maine) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Union Meeting House (Appleton)
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 Location in Maine
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| Location | 2875 Sennebec Rd., Appleton, Maine |
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| Area | 0.7 acres (0.28 ha) |
| Built | 1848 |
| Built by | Carkin, William D. |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 14000836 |
| Added to NRHP | October 8, 2014 |
The Union Meeting House is a very old and special building in Appleton, Maine. It was built in 1848. This building is a great example of Greek Revival architecture. Over the years, many different church groups used it. For a while, it even held the town's library! Now, the local historical society owns it. This important building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.
Contents
About the Union Meeting House
What the Building Looks Like
The Union Meeting House sits on a small hill. It is on the northeast side of Sennebec Road in Appleton. You can find it next to the town offices. It is also across from the public library. This building is a simple, one-story wooden structure. It has a pointed roof and wooden siding. Its foundation is made of strong granite.
The front of the building is balanced and even. It has two doors. Each door has tall, flat columns next to it. These columns are called pilasters. Above the doors are decorative tops. Between the doors are two tall, narrow stained-glass windows. Regular windows are directly above these. The corners of the front also have pilasters. Near the top of the pointed roof, there is a special window. It is shaped like a pointed arch.
A tower rises from the roof. The first part of the tower is square. Above that is a six-sided section. This part has openings for bells. It is called a belfry. On top of the belfry is a six-sided steeple.
A Place for Many Groups
The Union Meeting House was built in 1848. It was created by different church groups. These groups were not Baptists. They wanted a place to worship that they did not share. The Baptists had built their own church in 1845.
People helped pay for the building by buying pews. Pews are the long seats in a church. Over the years, many different Christian groups used the building. These included Unitarians and Quakers.
The building stopped being used for regular worship around 1920. The Appleton Memorial Association took care of it until 1970. For 28 years, the town's public library was located in the balcony. In 1971, the town took ownership of the property. They then gave it to the local historical society. Today, the historical society uses it as their museum and main office.
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