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 Campaign invests in Centre Street Congregational Church Posted by:  T0SHEA
N 44° 42.949 W 067° 27.480
19T E 622132 N 4952538
Though in need of a fresh coat of paint when we visited, the 1836 Centre Street Congregational Church has stood the test of time, still serving the Congregationalists of Machias after 180 years of constant use.
Waymark Code: WMR0QW
Location: Maine, United States
Date Posted: 04/24/2016
Views: 2
The most prominent landmark in the town of Machias, Centre Street Congregational was begun in 1836 and dedicated, free of debt, on April 13, 1837. The site had cost $1,200 while the building had ultimately cost $9,757. The design, by an unknown "Mr. Stephenson", closely followed that of the second Gothic Revival Church in the state, St. John's in Bangor, which has since been destroyed. This seems to have been just the third Gothic Revival Church built in the state and apparently the second to be dedicated, ahead of St. John's.
The church has a large bell and clock tower which projects from the front elevation and rises upward in several steps, ending in a tall and slender octagonal spire with a small belfry in its base, outlined by four gablets. The belfry is surrounded by a level of tall pointed corner finials with crenellations between, with another level below, giving eight finials in all, and stands on top of a town clock, with a face in each of the four sides of the tower.
In the belfry hangs a Paul Revere Bell, bought second hand in Boston. The bell measures 33 inches tall by 38 inches in diameter. Below the bell is the town clock, installed in November of 1870 through the efforts of the Ladies Clock Society, who had raised $600 to pay for the clock. An organ was installed in 1867, built by leading organ maker George Stevens of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Finally, in 1899, a series of stained glass windows portraying Biblical themes was installed.
Centre Street Church was founded in 1782 and our current church was built in 1836. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Centre Street features a Paul Revere bell, mechanical town clock, George Stevens tracker organ, and large Tiffany-style stained glass windows.
From Centre Street Congregational Church
Campaign invests in Centre Street Congregational Church
By Johanna S. Billings, BDN Staff
Posted April 19, 2016, at 3:51 p.m.
MACHIAS, Maine — The Centre Street Congregational Church is in the midst of getting a facelift.
With the aid of a bucket lift, Kevin Ackley and Damien Walston of Belden Morse of Machias, also known as “The Steeple People,” spent Tuesday scraping fragments of old, white paint from the church, built in 1836.
Church supporters have raised $80,000 so far as part of a $150,000 “Face-Lift Campaign” begun in November 2015 to paint the church and replace some wood that is rotting, especially around the front steps where it stays damp all winter, according to church member Greg Maxwell.
His wife, Pastor Susie Maxwell, described the speed with which the church raised money as “a testament to how well loved this building is.
“You either have to let it degrade or you’ve got to invest,” she said.
Church officials hope the project will be completed in time for the Machias Wild Blueberry Festival Aug. 19-21, the Maxwell said.
The contractors brought the lift over last week. Although the weather wasn’t conducive to getting much done, it was fortunate that the equipment was there because a storm window came loose near the top of the church and it threatened to break the stained glass window, Greg Maxwell said.
Crews were able to fix it easily with the aid of the lift.
“It was very lucky that they had the lift sitting right there,” he said.
The couple noted that the church building is a visible landmark in town and one of the first things motorists see from Route 1 when coming into town from the south.
From the Bangor Daily News
Type of publication: Newspaper
When was the article reported?: 04/19/2016
Publication: Bangor Daily News
Article Url: [Web Link]
Is Registration Required?: no
How widespread was the article reported?: regional
News Category: Arts/Culture
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