History

On Wednesday, the 7th of October 1772, some ten years after the founding of the town, eight men and six women organized the First Congregational Church of Blue Hill. This was the first Congregational church east of the Kennebec River and the twenty-fourth in the District of Maine, (then a part of Massachusetts). Rev. Daniel Little of Wells preached the first sermon and the confession of faith and covenant ended with the prayer; “Now may the gracious and glorious covenant-keeping God forgive us all our offences, assist us and bless us in this our covenant, and keep us now and forever in Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen.”

The first “suitable meeting house for the public worship of God,” was built in the Tide Mill district, near Blue Hill Falls, but the exact location is now unknown. Town records indicate that meetings were held there and repairs made to it over a period of years. As the settlement enlarged, the township had extended to the head of the bay, and the need was felt for a larger and more central meeting house. In those days, the town was the parish, and the parish the town, and all action taken in connection with building the meeting house in a new location had to be taken in an open town meeting. Meetings were held from October 1790 to April 1792 before a site and plans could be decided upon.

Work on the second meeting house in Blue Hill started in May 1792 with a day of entertainment for framing and raising the meeting house. The town had voted a barrel each of rum, molasses, and sugar for the occasion. The fifty by forty foot meeting house was located on the north side of Main Street near the top of Tenney Hill. The building was modeled after the Old South Church in Boston.

The Reverend Jonathan Fisher was called as the first “settled minister” in 1796.

In 1815 Parson Fisher was one of the founders of the Bangor Theological Seminary. He is known to have walked the 36 miles to Bangor to attend meetings there. In 1831, the Reverend Fisher published his first anti-slavery document.

In 1821, John Peters presented the town with a Paul Revere bell which was installed in the meeting house.

In 1831, Reverend Fisher published his first anti-slavery statement.

The meeting house burned to the ground on Sunday, the 2nd of January 1842; the location is marked now by a stone marker and bronze tablet.

Also in early 1842, one inhabitant of Blue Hill refused to pay the compulsory church tax imposed upon him. He was jailed in Ellsworth for a month and the ensuing controversy led to the final separation of church and state. The parish met, elected its own officers, and opened new books. Since that time, church funds have been raised by voluntary contributions.

The present church building was dedicated in January of 1843. The Builder was Thomas Lord, an unlettered man with a keen eye, to whom goes much of the credit for its excellent construction. The perfectly proportioned Greek revival architectural plan is credited to B. J. Deane, a Bangor architect. Members of the parish contributed the labor and materials. The bell now in the church is a recasting of the Paul Revere bell, which fell and broke when the old meeting house burned.

In 1890, the interior walls were found to be in poor condition and were renovated to include stencil decoration in the High Victorian manner. The city of Boston furnished labor and the Eastern Steamship Company shipped men and materials to Blue Hill free of charge. Workers were lodged and boarded by church members, and the ladies of the sewing circle provided the money.