Stetson Union Church, also known as the Stetson Meetinghouse, is a historic church building on
Maine State Route 222
State Route 222 (SR 222) is a state highway located in Penobscot County in central Maine. It begins at State Routes 7, 11, and 43 in Corinna and runs southwest into the city of Bangor, where it ends at U.S. Route 2 (US 2) and SR&nb ...
in
Stetson, Maine
Stetson is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,186 at the 2020 census. It was named after its first proprietor, Amasa Stetson. His brother Simeon Stetson originally settled here as well, but moved to nearby ...
. Built in 1843 to a design by
Bangor architect
Benjamin S. Deane
Benjamin S. Deane (1790–1867) was an American master builder and architect in practice in Bangor, Maine from circa 1832 to 1867.Deborah Thompson, ''Bangor, Maine, 1769-1914: An Architectural History'' (Orono: University of Maine Press, 1988)
...
, it is an excellent and well-preserved example of ecclesiastical
Greek Revival architecture
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but ...
. 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 1981.
It is owned by the town.
Description and history
The Stetson Union Church is located at the northeast corner of Village Road (
Maine State Route 222
State Route 222 (SR 222) is a state highway located in Penobscot County in central Maine. It begins at State Routes 7, 11, and 43 in Corinna and runs southwest into the city of Bangor, where it ends at U.S. Route 2 (US 2) and SR&nb ...
) and Wolfboro Road, east of the village center. The single story rectangular wood frame structure is set facing roughly west, toward the junction. The square tower that rises from the western end of the gable roof has two stages, ending in a conical fluted spire. The upper stage has arched windows flanked by Doric pilasters. The main facade has a recessed entrance pavilion, with Doric columns at the front and Ionic pilasters at the rear. The sides of the building have four stained-glass windows, and a chimney rises at the rear.
The town of Stetson began as a proprietorship established in 1801 by Amasa Stetson on land he purchased from
Leicester Academy
Leicester Academy was founded on March 23, 1784, when the Act of Incorporation for Leicester Academy was passed by the Massachusetts General Court as a private, state chartered institution. The charter issued to the Academy bears the bold signatur ...
of
Leicester, Massachusetts
Leicester ( ) is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts. The population was 11,087 at the 2020 United States Census.
History
What is now Leicester was originally settled by the Nipmuc people and was known by them as ''Towtaid''. On January 27 ...
. In 1831 he bequeathed the funds to build a church, which resulted in the 1843 construction of this building, to a design by the noted Bangor architect
Benjamin S. Deane
Benjamin S. Deane (1790–1867) was an American master builder and architect in practice in Bangor, Maine from circa 1832 to 1867.Deborah Thompson, ''Bangor, Maine, 1769-1914: An Architectural History'' (Orono: University of Maine Press, 1988)
...
.
[ The building is now owned by the town.]
See also
*
References
{{National Register of Historic Places
Churches in Penobscot County, Maine
Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine
Churches completed in 1843
Greek Revival church buildings in Maine
1843 establishments in Maine
National Register of Historic Places in Penobscot County, Maine