C is for churches

The Brick Store Museum's collections contain several artifacts and images related to church architecture and history.  Below is the history of just one area church.

First Parish Unitarian Church

In early Colonial times, Kennebunk was a part of Wells. Communities were then designated as parishes, and the church or parish was an essential meeting place. At the time, people in the Kennebunk district of Wells had to travel seven miles—usually by foot—to the First Congregational Parish of Wells in order to attend church or community meetings. In 1750 these residents founded their own parish, which they called the Second Congregational Parish of Wells. It was located at Kennebunk Landing along the Kennebunk River. Reverend Daniel Little was its first minister, and he served until 1801.

The parish moved to its current location (across the street from the Museum) in 1772. The church was built on land donated by Joseph Storer. By 1803, the congregation had outgrown the building, so the church was expanded to be the structure you see here today. Thomas Eaton of Kennebunk was the contractor. He was a housewright and master carpenter who also built many homes in Kennebunk and Kennebunkport.

The church was literally cut in two, and 28 feet was added to the center. The orientation of the roof was turned, and the steeple was added. A bell cast from Paul Revere’s foundry in 1803 was installed in the steeple, and it still rings today. It is one of only 23 remaining Revere bells in the world.

Maine became a state in 1820 as a result of the Missouri Compromise. It was in this same year that Kennebunk ceded from Wells to become its own town. As a result, the previously-named Second Congregational Parish of Wells became the First Congregational Parish of Kennebunk. The church was painted white in 1823 (it had been dark yellow before). For many years, it served as the center for official town activities. In 1827, the parish became a Unitarian church, splitting with the orthodox Congregationalists who built their own church on nearby Dane Street: what is today Christ Church.