A historic Patten church that was saved from demolition in 2023 is now a thriving cultural center well on its way to federal historic preservation status.
In 2022, Patten selectmen voted to demolish the historic 1845 Regular Baptist Church and replace it with flowers and a picnic table. Former selectboard chairman Cody Brackett said at the time that the building was beyond repair with a leaking roof and crumbling foundation.
At a subsequent town meeting, preservationist and historian Marcia Pond Anderson stood up and objected to the vote that she said would destroy the town’s history and one of its oldest buildings. Right after the meeting, the Preservation Committee to Save the Church was founded by Pond Anderson along with five members.
An 82-5 town vote in April 2023 saved the church and the town transferred its ownership to the Patten Historical Society. Pond Anderson is the society’s president.
In the years since, the building — now known as the Patten Cultural Center — has been opened to the community and hundreds have attended events aimed at bringing people together to celebrate art, history and culture. Nonetheless, its ongoing historic restoration is a critical piece of its continuing success to make sure it remains a viable part of the community.
“Our project is to restore and preserve the historic and structural integrity of our 1845 Baptist church and meetinghouse,” Pond Anderson said. “Repairs to the building help preserve it in support of a place where the community can gather together.”
With the help of a growing cadre of volunteers, supporters, grants and private donations, the church was saved, the roof has been replaced, the foundation is being historically restored and the space is being used for weddings, poetry readings, music jam sessions, art shows, holiday celebrations, educational sessions and a summer art camp for kids.
The Maine Historic Preservation Commission is currently reviewing Pond Anderson’s application for placing the Cultural Center on the National Register of Historic Places. The center was also recently awarded its second $10,000 1772 Foundation and Maine Preservation grant to restore the building’s foundation.
“We are saving it, we are not putting in concrete block, we are having it restored,” Pond Anderson said.
The 1772 Foundation’s grantmaking focuses on moving historic preservation ahead with a strong emphasis on inclusivity, environmental sustainability and community engagement. The Cultural Center was awarded the first $10,000 grant in 2024 to help with the roof replacement project.
The roof replacement was the most critical repair because leaks threatened the elaborate trompe l’oeil murals, which had been hidden by a mid-twentieth century dropped ceiling. The three-dimensional sky-blue paintings replicate actual architectural details.
It’s one of only a few ceilings of its kind remaining in the state, according to Brad Miller, director of programs for Maine Preservation.
The 1845 Baptist Church and Meetinghouse sits on a glacial boulder that extends outside, Pond Anderson said.
“I like to think that the people that built it, the Baptist community, put their foundation on a rock,” she said.
The church, often referred to as the Baptist Meetinghouse, is one of Patten’s earliest buildings and was used for town business and voting. During the Civil War, volunteers gathered there to join the Union Army, according to a 1941 Bangor Daily News article.
“They had elections here. This is where they decided whether or not to pay a standing army,” she said. “They were so forward thinking. They took the time, they debated, they deliberated. They had a plan.”
Less than a year after saving the church, the historical society’s preservation committee raised the funds for the $30,000 roof replacement. In addition to the $10,000 matching 1772 Foundation grant in collaboration with Maine Preservation, it collected another $21,200 in donations.
Last year, Pond Anderson asked Maine Preservation to complete an in-depth historical assessment of the building to determine its preservation priorities.
The report, which is more than 60 pages long, prioritizes restoring the foundation next, with recommendations to repoint missing and deteriorated mortar joints with a lime mortar.
“It is generally best practice to replicate the original mortar as closely as possible,” according to the report. “When the building was built in 1845, Portland cement and hydraulic natural cements were not widely available, and most mortars were made with only quicklime, sand, and water.”
Historic mason David Leeman, co-owner of Knox Masonry in Orrington, will do the work. Leeman, who has been an historic mason for over 25 years, has a long list of restoration projects including the ongoing Fort Knox project in Prospect.
It is a detailed and often long process that begins with an assessment of the original mortar through laboratory testing, Leeman said.
“The testing gives the components of the mortar mix,” he said. “Right now we are down at the College of the Atlantic and their mortar mix is completely different. Sometimes a year or two will go into it before we can actually come on site.”
A sample of the mortar in Patten will be sent to the lab for testing.
“It will tell you all the components that are in there including the binders, the lime and even the size of the aggregate, the sand. Is it sharp, is it round?” Leeman said.
Preserving this masonry is essential to maintaining the structural integrity, character and cultural significance of historic structures, Leeman said.
“It’s actually quite fun. I absolutely love doing this historic work,” Leeman said. “Every project is unique.”
The preservation committee is raising funds as quickly as it can for the foundation project, which will cost about $87,000, including some chimney restoration.
As part of the fundraising campaign, people will be able to purchase a brick for $25 each in memory of someone or to commemorate a birthday, anniversary or birth.
“These people can actually say, ‘we helped firm the foundation’ because their brick is in it,” Pond Anderson said.
