First Congregational Church and Parsonage (Kittery, Maine)

Last updated

First Congregational Church and Parsonage
Congregational Church, Kittery Point, ME.jpg
Postcard view of church, c. 1912
USA Maine location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location23 Pepperrell Rd., Kittery Point, Maine
Coordinates 43°4′54″N70°42′56″W / 43.08167°N 70.71556°W / 43.08167; -70.71556
Area2 acres (0.81 ha) (original); 1 acre (0.40 ha) (increase)
Built1729 and 1733
Architectural styleGreek Revival, Colonial
NRHP reference No. 78000333  (original)
97000602 [1]  (increase)
Significant dates
Added to NRHPDecember 18, 1978
Boundary increaseJuly 03, 1997

The First Congregational Church and Parsonage is a historic church complex at 23 Pepperrell Road (Maine State Route 103) in the Kittery Point section of Kittery, Maine. Built in 1730 for a congregation first organized in 1653, the church is the oldest in Kittery, and one of the oldest in the state of Maine. It is accompanied by a parsonage house, built in 1729, and a small cemetery, established in 1733. The buildings were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978; the cemetery was added to the listing in 1997. [1]

Contents

Description and history

The First Congregational Church in Kittery was organized in 1653. In 1729 this congregation elected to build a new parsonage. Although completed the same year, the adjacent 1728 church building burned down, and the present church building was constructed the following year. [2] It was built with the support of merchant William Pepperrell, Sr., the father of French and Indian War hero, William Pepperrell, also an active member of the congregation.[ citation needed ] In 1733 the parish established a burial ground south of church (across Pepperrell Road), which is now the burial site of many of the town's leading citizens. A new parsonage was built in 1910, between the old one and the church. [2] Nearby is the Lady Pepperrell House, built in 1760.

The church in 2011 Kittery Point, Maine.jpg
The church in 2011

The church is a modest rectangular wood-frame structure, now facing south, with a gable roof and a small tower. The three-bay main facade has the main entrance at its center, with tall windows in the outer bays, and a smaller sash window above the entrance in the gable. Greek Revival paneled pilasters are found at the building corners. The square tower has a short first stage, topped by a belfry with louvered openings and pilasters. The tower is capped by a segmented dome. The building has seen numerous alterations, and most of its decorative elements are the result of Greek Revival renovations in 1840. The building interior retains its original two-aisle layout and its pulpit. The building was moved a short distance to its present site and orientation in 1872. [2]

The old parsonage is a 2+12-story wood-frame building, with a five-bay facade facing south, and a long five-bay two-story ell extending to the rear, facing the road to the west. In 1958 a second ell was added to the north side. After the new parsonage was built in 1910, this building was used as a community center. [2]

The cemetery is about 1 acre (0.40 ha) in size, and is bounded on three sides by a low stone wall, believed to date to 1733, and on the fourth by the Piscataqua River. An iron gate, mounted on concrete posts with round-arch panels and finials, was added to the north entrance in 1910. Burials in the cemetery date from the mid-18th to mid-20th centuries. The most prominent marker is dedicated to the crew of the Hattie Eaton, lost at sea with all hands in 1876. [3]

Notable members

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kittery Point, Maine</span> Census-designated place in Maine, United States

Kittery Point is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Kittery, York County, Maine, United States. First settled in 1623, Kittery Point traces its history to the first seafarers who colonized the shore of what became Massachusetts Bay Colony and later the State of Maine. Located beside the Atlantic Ocean, it is home to Fort McClary State Historic Site, and Fort Foster Park on Gerrish Island. Cutts Island is home to Seapoint Beach and the Brave Boat Harbor Division of the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abington Congregational Church</span> Historic church in Connecticut, United States

The Abington Congregational Church is a historic church on Connecticut Route 97 in the Abington village of Pomfret, Connecticut. Built in 1751 and restyled in the 1830s, it is the oldest ecclesiastical building in the State of Connecticut that has been continuously used for religious purposes. In 1977 it was included on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rockingham Meeting House</span> Historic church in Vermont, United States

The Rockingham Meeting House, also known as Old North Meeting House and First Church in Rockingham, is a historic civic and religious building on Meeting House Road in Rockingham, Vermont, United States. The Meeting House was built between 1787 and 1801 and was originally used for both Congregational church meetings as well as civic and governmental meetings. Church services ceased in 1839 but town meetings continued to be held in it until 1869. It was restored in 1906 and has been preserved.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Congregational Church of Bennington</span> Historic church in Vermont, United States

The First Congregational Church of Bennington, also known as the Old First Church, is a historic church in Old Bennington, Vermont. The congregation was organized in 1762 and the current meeting house was built in 1805. The building, one of the state's best examples of Federal period religious architecture, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lady Pepperrell House</span> Historic house in Maine, United States

The Lady Pepperrell House is an American historic house in Kittery Point, Maine. It stands on State Route 103, opposite the First Congregational Church and Parsonage. Built in 1760 by Lady Mary Pepperrell, widow of Sir William Pepperrell, the house is one of the finest examples of Georgian architecture in New England. Pepperrell was the only colonial American to be honored with a baronetcy, awarded by King George II for his leadership of the 1745 expedition against the French Fortress Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island. The house was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960, but remains in private ownership, subject to preservation restrictions held by Historic New England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Congregational Church (Stoneham, Massachusetts)</span> Historic church in Massachusetts, United States

The First Congregational Church is an historic church in Stoneham, Massachusetts. Built in 1840, it is a fine local example of Greek Revival architecture, and is a landmark in the town center. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 13, 1984. The church is affiliated with the United Church of Christ; the current pastor is the Rev. Ken McGarry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bozrah Congregational Church and Parsonage</span> Historic church in Connecticut, United States

Bozrah Congregational Church and Parsonage is a historic church and parsonage at 17 and 23 Bozrah Street in Bozrah, Connecticut. The church, built in 1843, is a well-preserved example of churches transitional between Federal period meeting house architecture and 19th-century Greek Revival church architecture. The property was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Yarmouth and Freeport Baptist Meetinghouse</span> Historic church in Maine, United States

The North Yarmouth and Freeport Baptist Meetinghouse, also known as the Old Baptist Meeting House, is an historic church on Hillside Street in Yarmouth, Maine. Built in 1796 and twice altered in the 19th century, it is believed to be the oldest surviving church built for a Baptist congregation in the state of Maine. It is now owned by the town and maintained by a local non-profit organization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Congregational Church (Eastport, Maine)</span> Historic church in Maine, United States

The Central Congregational Church is a historic church at 26 Middle Street in Eastport, Maine, USA. The meeting house was built in 1829, and is a remarkably sophisticated example of Federal style architecture for what was then a frontier community. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centre Street Congregational Church</span> Historic church in Maine, United States

Centre Street Congregational Church is a historic church at 9 Center Street in Machias, Maine. Built in 1836-37, it is an important early example of Gothic Revival architecture in northern New England, apparently based on an early design by the noted Gothic architect Richard Upjohn. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. The congregation is affiliated with the United Church of Christ; its current pastor is Rev. Susan Maxwell, M. Div.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Church (Phillips, Maine)</span> Historic church in Maine, United States

The Union Church, now Phillips Congregational Church, is a historic church on Main and Pleasant Streets in Phillips, Maine. Built in 1835, this Greek Revival church is the oldest religious building in the small community, and a distinctive local landmark. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elm Street Congregational Church and Parish House</span> Historic church in Maine, United States

The Elm Street Congregational Church and Parish House is a historic church complex at Elm and Franklin Streets in Bucksport, Maine. It includes a Greek Revival church building, built in 1838 to a design by Benjamin S. Deane, and an 1867 Second Empire parish house. The church congregation was founded in 1803; its present pastor is the Rev. Stephen York. The church and parish house were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Finnish Congregational Church and Parsonage</span> Historic church in Maine, United States

The Finnish Congregational Church and Parsonage is a historic church at 172 St. George Road in South Thomaston, Maine, United States. Built in 1921, with the parsonage added about 1925, the church represents one of the earliest formal expressions of Finnish-American culture in the region. The buildings were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oxford Congregational Church and Cemetery</span> Historic church in Maine, United States

The Oxford Congregational Church and Cemetery is a historic church and cemetery in Oxford, Maine, located on the east side of King Street, 0.2 miles (0.32 km) north of its junction with Maine State Route 121. Built in 1842-3, the church is architecturally significant as a good local example of Greek Revival and Gothic Revival style, and is artistically significant for a decorative stenciled trompe-l'œil artwork on the ceiling and sanctuary end wall. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hampden Congregational Church</span> Historic church in Maine, United States

Hampden Congregational Church is a historic church at 101 Main Road North in Hampden, Maine. Built in 1835 for a congregation founded in 1817, it exhibits a high-quality blend of Federal, Greek Revival, and Italianate architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moose River Congregational Church</span> Historic church in Maine, United States

Moose River Congregational Church is a historic church at 2 Heald Stream Road in Jackman, Maine. The church congregation is affiliated with the United Church of Christ. The congregation meets in an 1891 Gothic Revival building that has served it since the congregation was established in 1890. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Pepperrell House</span> Historic house in Maine, United States

The William Pepperrell House is a historic house at 94 Pepperrell Road in Kittery Point, Maine. Built about 1682 and later enlarged and restyled, it was at the time of its construction the grandest house in what is now the state of Maine. It is notable as the birthplace and home of Sir William Pepperrell (1696-1759) a leading businessman of the period whose greatest claim to fame was leading the 1745 Siege of Louisbourg during King George's War. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Congregational Church and Meetinghouse</span> Historic church in Vermont, United States

The First Congregational Church and Meetinghouse, also known as the Church of Christ and the Townshend Church, is a historic church at 34 Common Road in Townshend, Vermont. Built in 1790 and restyled in 1840, it is one of the oldest church buildings in continuous use in the state. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002; the congregation was established in 1777, and is affiliated with the United Church of Christ.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerrish Warehouse</span> United States historic place

The Gerrish Warehouse was a historic 18th-century warehouse, located on Pepperrell Cove in Kittery Point, Maine. Built c. 1710, it was one element of the Pepperrell family's shipping empire, notably run in the mid-18th century by Sir William Pepperrell. Converted into a ship chandlery in the 19th century, it was sold to the Maine Maritime Museum in 1976, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. The museum's plan to move the building by barge to a new location was judged infeasible, and it was subsequently demolished after the museum had recovered its contents. It was removed from the National Register in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Congregational Church of Cornwall Parsonage</span> Historic house in Vermont, United States

The First Congregational Church of Cornwall Parsonage is a historic house at 18 Vermont Route 74 in the center of Cornwall, Vermont. Built in 1839, it is a good local example of Greek Revival architecture, and served as a parsonage until 1994. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "NRHP nomination for First Congregational Church and Parsonage (original)". National Park Service. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  3. "NRHP nomination for First Congregational Church and Parsonage (1997 increase)". National Park Service. Retrieved June 9, 2015.