In the mid-1700s, Maine was not yet a state of the U.S. but a territory of the state of Massachusetts. The town of Harpswell, which had grown huge at over 800 people, was finally incorporated into a town in 1758, separated from North Yarmouth by the Massachusetts General Court. But before becoming a town, Harpswell had become a “parish” in 1751 under the director of Reverend Richard Pateshall. Becoming a parish in those days was a big deal. However, Reverend Pateshall only preached for a couple of years.
Reverend Elisha Eaton became the town pastor in 1753 and he
had the old Meeting House built, which served as church and everything else for
the town. It was completed in 1759 (or
maybe 1760), and that building is still standing in Harpswell today. I have walked by it many times myself, and I
have shown many photos on these very pages from the Old Harpswell Common
Burying Ground attached to the Meeting House.
Reverend Elisha Eaton himself was buried in 1764 in that boneyard.
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| The old Elijah Kellogg Church. |
People continued to use the old Meeting House until 1843,
but quite a controversy built up over the ownership and control of it. So the Harpswell Center Congregational Parish
was formed, and they built a new church.
The Reverend Elijah Kellogg was chosen as pastor. That church is still standing and in use
today. When Reverend Kellogg died in
1901, they changed the name of the church from the Harpswell Center Congregational
Church to the Elijah
Kellogg Church,
in his honor. The church still bears his
name today.
And here I am gossiping, but that’s because things happen slowly
around here (that’s as good an excuse as any I’ve heard). It has only been about 250 odd years, give or
take a few decades, so you can’t expect too much change. And, in fact, you’re not likely to get much
change anytime soon. I’ve always
wondered what the folks from long ago would think of the town if they could
come back. The truth is, other than
being bewildered by the one paved road that runs through it and by the
electrical wires running to the church, nothing else has really changed.
There are no stoplights, no fast-food restaurants, no
supermarkets, no malls, no theaters, etc.
Things in that area are pretty much how they always were. Old Elijah Kellogg’s church, a fine example
of Greek Revival Architecture, still stands out, looming over the horizon. I’m sure the ghosts would recognize the town
just perfectly and feel right at home. And
rightly so. It remains to be seen what
the next 250 years will bring.
