The
Town of Porter is fortunate to own this unique historic building. This old
meeting house, located on the Old Meeting House Road, was once the geographic
center of the populated areas of Porter.
It was built by a small group of Free Will Baptists who were often
called “Bullockites” after their minister - Elder Jeremiah Bullock. The foundation was laid in 1819 and
construction began in 1820. It appears
that by 1824 they lacked the money to complete the building and the Town of
Porter voted on April 5, 1824 to raise $400 for the purpose of finishing the
North Meeting House and to secure to the town the right to hold its meetings
there. Town meetings were held at the
meeting house until 1911. The
“Bullockites” continued to hold quarterly meetings there for many years.
This very plain, unpretentious
building has rectangular lines, with two entry doors on the south side with
steps of large granite blocks. Just inside each door are two narrow enclosed
stairways that wind up to the balcony. There
is no bell tower or steeple as the early worshipers believed it was not
necessary to be “called” to worship.
There are 31 windows with 24 small
square panes of glass each. These are
important because there is no electricity to illuminate the interior. One large window with an arched top was
placed behind the raised pulpit on the north wall. The pulpit was taken down in 1881, probably
to better serve the purpose of town meetings.
Parts of the pulpit were found in 1953 in a barn loft and it was
restored and rededicated in 1969.
The restored raised pulpit at the Old
Porter Meeting House.
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There
are16 box pews on the main floor. These pews were sold with a deed for $50
each. These were “pen like” affairs with
benches on three sides around the interior. A gate leading into the aisle is on
the fourth side fastened with a simple latch on the outside. There is a balcony on three sides of the
building which is 14 feet wide supported by 6 columns and has a sloping
floor. More box pews are located on the
balcony. The balcony’s front rows were “free” bench seats and the front row in
the rear balcony facing the pulpit were known as “singer seats”.
Originally there was no provision
for heat but eventually a chimney was constructed and a wood stove installed
near the pulpit. The chimney has since
been removed and the stove remains unused.
View of box pews and balcony |
Today the building remains about the
same as it was built with little adornment, plain pumpkin pine woodwork and
white plaster walls.
From 1947 through 2011 the
Parsonsfield-Porter Historical Society held a yearly worship service at the
Meeting House on Labor Day Sunday. Today there is simply an Open House on that
date and everyone is invited to come and see this wonderful building. Although it is owned and maintained by the
Town of Porter, the Parsonsfield-Porter Historical Society continues to be custodian
of the building to ensure it is taken care of for future generations to
experience and enjoy. Most of our
citizens appreciate the value of this building and its place in our history and
money is set aside each year at Town Meeting to maintain it. In 1973 it was placed on the National
Register of Historic Places. Tours may be arranged by appointment by contacting
the Parsonsfield-Porter Historical Society.
The 1st Labor Day Sunday
Service – 1947 at the Old Porter Meeting House.
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Date unknown – notice the missing
pulpit.
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A reminder to all members, if you would like to attend the PPHS annual Thanksgiving luncheon on Saturday, November 12, 2016 at 1 pm at the Porter Town Offices you need to call Jan Iler at 625-7019 to reserve your place. The luncheon is for members and their guests only.
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