The Oldest Parish In Portland With A History Of Serving As The Community Meeting House During The Revolutionary War
High above the heads of Sunday worshippers at the First Parish Meeting House in Portland, Maine, a gorgeous crystal chandelier hides a historic secret that dates to the Revolutionary War. Within its design, the 600-pound cut-glass fixture incorporates a cannonball fired by British ships in the opening days of America’s War for Independence. The ball was discovered imbedded in the church’s walls during the construction of the parish’s new granite church -- new in 1824, that is.
“Was it meant as a sort of ‘swords into plowshares’ message?” theorizes church historian Sarah Franklin. “Maybe. But whatever it means, it’s certainly a unique decoration.”
As Franklin tells the story, Capt. Henry Mowat of the British Royal Navy was dispatched from Boston in October, 1775, to “discipline” the coastal towns of Maine. He gave the residents of Portland (then called Falmouth) advance warning to depart, before bombing the town for nine hours, then sending sailors to torch whatever remained. Although built of wood, First Parish, affectionately known as “Old Jerusalem,” survived both the bombardment and the fire, thanks to its location on a hill at what was then the edge of town. Old Jerusalem replaced a more modest clapboard building in 1740.
The destruction of Portland had some far reaching consequences. “No one really appreciates how it factored into the Revolutionary War,” Bob Witkowski of Visit Portland, tells The Buzz. “It’s one of the grievances against the British King listed in the Declaration of Independence.” When the founders write about Britain “ravaging our coasts and burning our towns,” they were talking about Portland.
Today, First Parish sits in the heart of modern Portland, just off Monument Square, which Witkowski calls “the city’s Times Square.” In addition to the impressive “Our Lady of Victories” monument, the square hosts the city’s farmer’s market, concerts, the annual town Christmas tree, and monthly First Friday art walks. Through the centuries, Monument Square and First Parish have been through a lot, from Native American attacks during King Philip’s War in 1676 to the Rum Riots of 1851, part of Maine’s early experiment with prohibition.
“First Parish has seen a lot of history,” Witkowski continues. “It’s the oldest continuously running parish in the city. The first church was a log cabin.” According to Witkowski, one First Parish pastor was hung for witchcraft during the Salem witch trials. Another pastor was nearly torn limb from limb on the church steps during a pro-slavery riot before the Civil War, according the church’s history detailed on its website. Serving as the community meeting house for many years, the church witnessed the signing of a treaty that ended the Indian Wars in 1749, and the framing of the first constitution of the state of Maine in 1819.
“The 1740 church was just a simple frame building,” says Sarah Franklin. “By 1759, the parishioners decided it was too small. So they cut it in half and expanded, and added a steeple which has become a city landmark.” The multilayered octagonal steeple, topped with an ornate belfry and cupola, featured a weathervane crafted by Thomas Drowne, a member of the notable Drowne family of Boston smiths, and a Simon Willard tower clock. Both are rare examples of early American antiquities. The entire wooden steeple was moved to the new granite building in 1826.
Franklin says that she believes this is the only Willard tower clock still working. Another Willard clock is mounted inside, above the gallery. The interior of the church was restored to its original appearance in 1976, in preparation for achieving National Register of Historic Places status, and retains its original mahogany pulpit and other furnishings. Plaques tell the building’s history, and portraits of past ministers hang in the parish house along with the desk of Hermann Kotzschmar, a famous organist of the 1850s.
Near the front of the sanctuary is one pew of particular interest to students of literature. A plaque identifies it as the pew where the Wadsworth Longfellow family always sat, still holding a foot-warmer brought to the church by the Longfellow children. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow grew up just a block away from First Parish and attended church here throughout his childhood. Henry’s younger sister, Alice Longfellow Pierce, lived in the family home until her death, keeping it exactly as it was during Henry’s childhood. Upon her death, she bequeathed the Wadsworth-Longfellow House to the Maine Historical Society, which continues to offer tours May through October.
“Alice realized how terrifically important her brother was in shaping American culture,” Franklin, a former English teacher, explains. “He was inventing the mythology of our country with poems such as ‘Paul Revere’s Ride,’ ‘The Song of Hiawatha,’ ‘The Courtship of Miles Standish,’ and so many others. Longfellow was a rock star in his own time.”
The liberal Unitarian faith, brought to First Parish during Longfellow’s childhood by Reverend Ichabod Nichols, had a profound influence on the poet’s works. “Henry espoused many Unitarian beliefs in his poetry and Nichols was a close friend of the Longfellow family,” Franklin says. “A portrait of Nichols still hangs in the Longfellow house.”
The new granite church was underway as Henry left for his first trip to study in Europe, but the 17-year-old budding poet was not a fan of the change. In 1824, the Portland Advertiser published a poem by Longfellow, one of his first in print, mourning the passing of “The Old Parish Church.” The stone construction proved its worth, however. First Parish was among the few structures to survive Portland’s Great Fire of 1866.
“The building is so old and beautiful,” says Rev. Christina Sillari, the current Unitarian Universalist minister at First Parish Portland. She says that visitors can arrange tours or find out open hours by calling the office. “The church is open to all,” Sillari says. “We often fly a rainbow flag on Sunday mornings to welcome everyone to worship with us.”
Renee Wright
A graduate of Franconia College in Social Psychology, Renee has worked as Travel Editor for Charlotte Magazine and has written three travel guidebooks for Countryman Press among other writing assignments. She enjoys food and camping.
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