Free Baptist Church (Auburn, Maine)

Last updated
Free Baptist Church
Free Baptist Church, (Penley Corner Church), Auburn, Maine.jpg
USA Maine location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location Auburn, Maine
Coordinates 44°3′11″N70°12′11″W / 44.05306°N 70.20306°W / 44.05306; -70.20306 Coordinates: 44°3′11″N70°12′11″W / 44.05306°N 70.20306°W / 44.05306; -70.20306
Arealess than one acre
Architectural styleGreek Revival, Gothic Revival
NRHP reference No. 89000843 [1]
Added to NRHPJuly 13, 1989

The Free Baptist Church, also known as the Penley Corner Church is a historic church on Riverside Drive in Auburn, Maine. Built in 1833, the building's interior was extensively redecorated in the late 19th century with Queen Anne stained glass, stencilwork, and multicolored painting. Its primarily for the well-preserved interior artwork that this building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. [1]

Contents

Description and history

The Penley Corner Church is located on the west side of Riverside Drive in rural southern Auburn, a short way north of Penley Corner Road. It stands on a property that also includes a small cemetery historically associated with the church. The building is a single-story wood frame structure, with a gable roof, clapboard siding, and granite foundation. There is no tower. The main facade faces east, and is symmetrically arranged, with an engaged porch extending the width, supported by square posts. A single door provides access to the building at the center of the porch, and there are two windows on the gallery level. A small lancet-shaped louver occupies the center of the gable. The windows on the sides are all lancet-arched in the Gothic Revival style. [2]

The plainness of the building's exterior is in marked contrast to a vividly decorated interior. From the entrance one passes into a vestibule area under the gallery, which is accessed by stairs to one side. Pews are arranged in three groups, up to a raised platform that spans 2/3 of the building width at the far end, with additional small groups of pews at its sides. A low balustrade demarcates the pulpit, which has a stenciled backdrop. The walls are wainscoted, and the ceiling is made of boxed beams and wood sheathing. Foliated stencilwork lines the sheathing, while the beams have a multicolored stencilwork pattern on their bottoms. The angled portions of the ceiling are also decorated with foliate stencils. Windows on the building sides have colored sections, and the buildings sole interior light source is a kerosene chandelier. [2]

The Free Will Baptist congregation in Auburn dates to 1808, and had grown by the late 1820s to a size sufficient to warrant construction of a church. This building was erected in 1833, although its initial interior features are not known, many records having been destroyed by a fire. As a result, it is also not known exactly when the interior decorations were made, which are stylistically from the Queen Anne period. The church's congregation had declined in the 1880s to the point where services were held only sporadically, and came to an end around the turn of the 20th century. The building was briefly used by another congregation in the 1950s, and was rescued from demolition by local citizens who formed a non-profit to oversee its preservation. Services are now held annually, and the building is well maintained. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Osterville Baptist Church</span> Historic church in Massachusetts, United States

The Osterville Baptist Church is an historic Baptist church building at 824 Main Street in the Osterville village of Barnstable, Massachusetts. The white clapboarded wood-frame structure was built in 1837 for a congregation formed two years earlier. It is one of the older buildings in Osterville, and is a fine example of the Greek Revival with Gothic Revival elements. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Universalist Society Meetinghouse</span> Historic church in Massachusetts, United States

The Universalist Society Meetinghouse is an historic Greek Revival meetinghouse at 3 River Road in Orleans, Massachusetts. Built in 1834, it was the only Universalist church built in Orleans, and is architecturally a well-preserved local example of Greek Revival architecture. The Meeting House is now the home of the Orleans Historical Society and is known as the Meeting House Museum. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Baptist Church of Tarrytown</span> Historic church in New York, United States

The First Baptist Church of Tarrytown is located on South Broadway in Tarrytown, New York, United States. It is a stone building in the Victorian Gothic architectural style dating to the 1870s. In 1983 it and its rectory were listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Presbyterian Church (Batavia, New York)</span> Historic church in New York, United States

The First Presbyterian Church in Batavia, New York, United States, is located at East Main and Liberty streets. It is a joined complex of several buildings. The main one, the church's sanctuary, is a limestone Gothic Revival structure built in the mid-19th century. Its congregation was the first church to be organized in Batavia, albeit as a Congregationalist group at that time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Early Settlers Meeting House</span> Historic church in New Hampshire, United States

The Early Settlers Meeting House is a historic church building at the junction of Granite and Foggs Ridge roads at Leighton Corners in the town of Ossipee, New Hampshire, United States. Built in the 1810s for a Free Will Baptist congregation and remodeled in 1856, it is a well-preserved example of a vernacular mid-19th century church. Now owned by the Ossipee Historical Society, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Universalist Church (Kingston, New Hampshire)</span> Historic church in New Hampshire, United States

The First Universalist Church, known locally as the Church on the Plains, is a historic church building on Main Street in Kingston, New Hampshire. Built in 1879 to a design by the regionally prominent architect C. Willis Damon, it is a fine local example of Stick/Eastlake architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and is now owned by the local historical society.

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

The First Baptist Church, also known as the Old Corner Church, is a historic church at West and Federal Streets in Waterboro, Maine. Built in 1803-04 and altered to a Greek Revival appearance in 1849, it retains significant characteristics of more traditional Federal period meetinghouses. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

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

The Gray Memorial United Methodist Church and Parsonage is a historic church complex at 8 Prospect Street in Caribou, Maine. The Gothic Revival wood-frame church, built in 1912-14 for a Methodist congregation founded in 1860, is the most architecturally sophisticated church in Caribou. It was built on the lot of the Colonial Revival parsonage house, which was moved to make way for the church. The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. The current pastor is Rev. Timothy Wilcox.

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

The West Scarborough United Methodist Church, also known as the Dunstan Methodist Episcopal Church, is a historic church on U.S. Route 1 in Scarborough, Maine. The church building, built in 1839 and extensively altered in 1907, is one of the few surviving works of Maine architect and artist Harry Hayman Cochrane. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989 for its architectural significance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Harpswell Free Will Baptist Church</span> Historic church in Maine, United States

The East Harpswell Free Will Baptist Church is a historic church on Cundys Harbor Road in East Harpswell, Maine. Built in 1843, it is a little-altered modest Greek Revival structure, with a reversed interior layout that is now extremely rare within the state. It has been used only sporadically since the early 20th century, but is maintained by a local community group. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

The Church of Our Father is a historic Episcopal church in Hulls Cove, a village of Bar Harbor, Maine. Built in 1890-91 to a design by William Masters Carmac, it is an excellent local interpretation of English Gothic Revival architecture executed in stone. It was part of a period trend in the construction of architect-designed summer chapels in coastal Maine. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of the New Jerusalem (Fryeburg, Maine)</span> Historic church in Maine, United States

The Church of the New Jerusalem, now known as The Fryeburg New Church, is a congregation of The New Church (Swedenborgianism) at 12 Oxford Street in Fryeburg, Maine. The historic church building is a Stick style structure designed by Portland architect, Charles H. Kimball, and built in 1878. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

<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.

The Free Will Baptist Church and Cemetery is a historic church property on Church Turn Road in North Islesboro, Maine. Built in 1843 and enlarged in the 1890s, the church is a fine example of Greek Revival architecture, and is particularly noted for its well-preserved mid-19th century stenciled artwork, whose quality and level of preservation are among the best in the state. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. It is now owned by a local nonprofit organization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Post Mills Church</span> Historic church in Vermont, United States

The Post Mills Church is a historic church at 449 Vermont Route 244 in the Post Mills village of Thetford, Vermont. Built in 1818 and remodeled in 1855, it is an excellent example of Greek Revival architecture, with extremely rare late 19th century stencilwork on its interior walls and ceiling. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. The congregation is affiliated with the United Church of Christ.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Presbyterian Church of Margaretville</span> Historic church in New York, United States

The First Presbyterian Church of Margaretville, now Margaretville New Kingston Presbyterian Church, is located on Orchard Street in Margaretville, New York, United States. It is an ornate wooden church built late in the 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Mary's Catholic Church (Riverside, Iowa)</span> United States historic place

St. Mary's Catholic Church is a parish church of the Diocese of Davenport. The church is located at the corner of St. Mary's and Washburn Streets in the town of Riverside, Iowa, United States. The entire parish complex forms an historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places as St. Mary's Parish Church Buildings. The designation includes the church building, rectory, the former church, and former school building. The former convent, which was included in the historical designation, is no longer in existence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St John the Baptist's Church, Smallbridge</span> Church in Greater Manchester, England

St John the Baptist's Church is in Halifax Road, Smallbridge, Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England. It is a redundant Anglican parish church in the benefice of Wardle and Smallbridge, the deanery of Rochdale, the archdeaconry of Rochdale, and the diocese of Manchester. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. It was a Commissioners' church, having received a grant towards its construction from the Church Building Commission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Paul's Catholic Church (Burlington, Iowa)</span> United States historic place

St. Paul's Catholic Church is an historic church building located in Burlington, Iowa, United States. Together with the Church of St. John the Baptist in Burlington and St Mary's Church in West Burlington it forms Divine Mercy parish, which is a part of the Diocese of Davenport. The parish maintains the former parish church buildings as worship sites. St. Paul's Church and the rectory are contributing properties in the Heritage Hill Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places. St. Paul's School was also a contributing property in the historic district, but it has subsequently been torn down.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warwick Uniting Church</span> Historic site in Queensland, Australia

Warwick Uniting Church is a heritage-listed church at 37 Guy Street, Warwick, Southern Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1869 to 1922. It is also known as St Andrews Presbyterian Church. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 24 March 2000.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. 1 2 3 "NRHP nomination for Free Baptist Church". National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-07-21.