Wiscasset in Lincoln County, Maine — The American Northeast (New England)
Meeting House 1767
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First Congregational Church 1907
Wiscasset, Maine
| | The Museum in the Streets | |
Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, October 14, 2024
1. Meeting House 1767 / First Congregational Church 1907 Marker
Meeting House 1767, Rebuilt 1840, First Congregational Church 1907
In December 1907, The bell cast in the Paul Revere foundry in Boston clanged frantically, sending the whole village racing towards the sound. This was no summons of joy. It was FIRE! The beloved bell was calling out the last notes it would ever sing.
The first Meeting House on this spot was built in 1767. Its bell and weather vane, both from the Revere foundry, were added in 1800. The interior was plain, unadorned and impossible to heat. In 1840, the second church was built, re-using the bell and weather vane. This was the church that burned to the ground, melting Revere Bell No. 39 into a 40-pound mass.
The church leaders asked Maine's leading architect, John Calvin Stevens, to design a new building that looked like the old church. Stevens followed the old design closely, while adding a few touches of his own genius. The building is now recognized as one of the finest examples of Colonial Revival architecture in the state. The weather vane remains above the bell tower. The molten mass of metal that was the original Revere bell was used in casting the
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Erected by The Museum in the Streets. (Marker Number 5.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Religion & Religious Structures.
Location. 44° 0.236′ N, 69° 40.069′ W. Marker is in Wiscasset, Maine, in Lincoln County. It is on High Street near Main Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 28 High Street, Wiscasset ME 04578, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Midcoast Maine. It is also in the American Northeast, in New England, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Lincoln County Courthouse - 1824 (here, next to this marker); Sons of Wicasset (within shouting distance of this marker); Lee-Payson-Smith House - 1792 (within shouting distance of this marker); Lincoln and Kennebec Bank, 1805 / Wiscasset Public Library, 1929
Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, October 14, 2024
2. Meeting House 1767 / First Congregational Church 1907 Marker
Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, October 14, 2024
3. First Congregational Church
Credits. This page was last revised on October 23, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 20, 2024, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 207 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 20, 2024, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • Michael Herrick was the editor who published this page.
