The Springfield Congregational Church is a historic church on

Maine State Route 6 State Route 6 (SR 6) is part of Maine's system of numbered state highways, running from west to east across the state. Its western terminus is at the Canada–United States border near Sandy Bay (a terminus it shares with U.S. Route 201), wher ...

Springfield, Maine Springfield is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 293 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and is water. Climate ...

. Built in 1852, it is Gothic Revival building noted for its elegance and high quality despite its rural setting. The building was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1978.

Description and history

The Springfield Congregational Church is set in Springfield's rural village center, on the north side of Route 6, a short way west of its junction with

Maine State Route 169 State Route 169 (SR 169) is a state highway from SR 6 in Springfield to U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Danforth. It runs concurrently with SR 170 for its first and intersects SR 171 in the unincorporated territory of ...

. It is a single-story wood-frame structure, with a front-facing gable roof, board-and-batten siding, and a granite foundation. A square three-stage tower, with buttress-like corners, rises at the southeast corner. The center of the main facade has a tripartite Gothic window rising into the main gable, and the main entrance is at the base of the tower, set in a Gothic arch. The second stage of the tower has Gothic windows, and the third has a trefoil design on each face. An open belfry stands above, with posts at the corners that are topped by a pinnacles joined by an ornate railing. The sides of the church have five Gothic arched windows. The interior of the church is noted for open trusswork supporting the roof, although this was at some time enclosed by a suspended ceiling. The town of Springfield, founded in 1830, is set in a rural part of eastern

Penobscot County Penobscot County is a county in the U.S. state of Maine, named for the Penobscot Nation on Wabanakik. As of the 2020 census, the population was 152,199. Its county seat is Bangor. The county was established on February 15, 1816, from part of ...

that has never developed beyond a basically agrarian economy. The congregation was established in 1846 and built this church in 1852 for $2500. The congregation has always been small, and was briefly disbanded during the Great Depression, and has also shared a minister with a neighboring congregation in

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln ...

. Electricity was introduced into the building in 1946. The building's architect is unknown.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places Churches in Penobscot County, Maine Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine Gothic Revival church buildings in Maine Churches completed in 1852 19th-century churches in the United States National Register of Historic Places in Penobscot County, Maine 1852 establishments in Maine

Description and history

See also

References