Walpole Meetinghouse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Walpole Meetinghouse
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Walpole Meetinghouse in a c. 1908 postcard
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Location | Walpole Meeting House Rd., Walpole, Maine |
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| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1772 |
| NRHP reference No. | 76000104 |
| Added to NRHP | November 07, 1976 |
The Walpole Meetinghouse is a very old and special church building in Walpole, a part of South Bristol, Maine. It was built way back in 1772. This meetinghouse is a great example of a church from the colonial times. It's one of the oldest churches in Maine that people still use sometimes! It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. A group of people who care about history help take care of it. Sometimes, it is still used for church services in the summer.
A Look Inside the Old Meetinghouse
The Walpole Meetinghouse stands on the north side of Walpole Meeting House Road. It is just a short distance east of Maine State Route 129. The building is made of wood and has two stories. It has a roof that slopes down on two sides, called a gabled roof. The outside is covered with original wooden shingles. These shingles were put on with nails that were cut by hand!
The meetinghouse has doors on three sides. The main entrance is on the long south side. This main door is a double door. It has decorative columns on each side, called pilasters. Above the door is a triangular shape, like a small roof, called a pedimented gable. The door on the west side looks similar. The door on the east side is simpler.
All the doors lead into one big main room. On the ground floor, you will see many box pews. These are like small, enclosed seating areas. On the north wall, there is a raised platform called a pulpit. This is where the speaker would stand. Behind the pulpit is a large wooden soundboard. This helped the speaker's voice carry through the room. It is supported by fancy wooden columns. These columns have a special paint finish that looks like marble. Stairs to a balcony, called a gallery, are in the front corners of the room.
The meetinghouse was built in 1772. It was first used by a group of Scottish immigrants. Most of them followed the Presbyterian faith. Their main church group, called a presbytery, was far away in Boston. Because of this, the church eventually became a Congregationalist church.
In the late 1800s, the building had some major repair work done. Workers found that the original wooden shingles on the outside were still in good shape. So, they decided not to replace them. This helps the meetinghouse look much like it did when it was first built.
Images for kids
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Walpole Meetinghouse in a c. 1908 postcard
