Churches in Winslow, Kennebec Co, Maine The Winslow Register Compiled by Mitchell and Davis 1904 Kent's Hill: Published by the H. E. Mitchell Co. 1904. pages 47-51 Church Account As we have looked over the account of the churches in Winslow we have come to the conclusion that no better account of this portion of Winslow's past can be presented than is contained in Mr. Kingsbury's notes on her churches. We have therefore concluded to give it verbatim and accord credit for same to the author. The Account is as follows: Churches The religious history of Winslow begins with some stray records that are of early date and of decided interest. Rev. John Muarry, a noted Congregational clergyman of Boothbay, held a religious service in Forth Halifax July 3, 1773, on which occasion he baptised three of Dr. John McKechnies's children. Rev. Jacob Bailey, the zealous Episcopalian, also held a few services at Fort Halifax in 1773-4. At it's annual meeting in 1773 the town voted to hire Deliverance Smith to preach twelve Sundays in the year. No regular preaching was provided. 1772, "Voted to hire one month's preaching this year"; 1775, "Voted not to hire preaching." 1778, "Voted to hire preaching." Roman Catholic services were held, according to Mrs. Freeman's account, among the Indians, right after the war by Juniper Berthune, a French Catholic priest, who had what she calls a mass house at the point where the mile brook enters the Sebasticook. The Indians, six of whom acted as his bodyguard, were very much attached to him, and were most obedient to his commands. The next recognized religious meeting was twenty years later, when Jesse Lee preached in Winslow, March 9, 1794--probably in the fort, as no meeting house had yet been built in the town. The town meeting of 1798 voted to hold preaching meeting alternately on the east and west sides of the river. September 5, 1794 the town voted "to hire Joshua Cushman to settle as a religious instructor and to give £110 a year so long as he shall remain our instructor." The first general church committee, appointed at a regular town meeting were James Stackpole, Ezekiel Pattee, Arthur Lithgow, Abraham Lander, Jonah Crosby, Benjamin Chase, Zimri Haywood, Asa Redington, George Warren, Timothy Heald, Ephraim Town, Solomon Parker, Nathaniel Low, Josiah Hayden, James McKechnie, David Pattee, John Pierce, Joseph Cragin, Elnathan Sherwin and Benjamin Runnels. This committee had charge of the ordination services of Mr. Cushman, which were held June 10, 1795, in a huge evergreen bower, supported by twenty pillars, erected for the purpose on "The Plains," as the point of land near the fort was then called. It was a notable occasion. Churches from ten localities were represented here by their pastors and many of their people. The town voted in 1794 to build a meeting house on the east side of the river, which was so far completed as to used for the town meeting in the spring of 1797. It has been used for religious meetings from that day to this, of which it has undoubtedly had a greater number within its walls than any other meeting house in the Kennebec county. The Methodist meeting house at East Readfield is a year older, but has had a great many idle years, while there is no evidence that this venerable house has had a single one. After his ordination, Mr. Cushman continued to preach to the Christian Society of Winslow about twenty years. The articles of faith are probably the most liberal in their wording and charitable in their spirit of any religious society in Maine of an equal date. Mr. Cushman was nominally a Congregationalist when ordained, but knowing that his society had adopted a Unitarian platform he did not hesitate to preach that doctrine. Dissatisfaction gradually ensued and the town paid him $1200 in 1814 to be released from the old religious instructor contract. The Congregational Church of Winslow was organized August 27, 1828, in the schoolhouse, with the constituency of twenty-nine members. The first meeting at which was the ordination of William May as pastor, was held in the town meeting house. Some of the prominent of the early years of the church were: Deacon Peter Talbot, Frederick Paine, Leprelit Wilmouth and Jonathan Garland, and their wives; Thomas Rice, Robert R. Drummond, Deacon Edmund Getchell, Samuel Sewall, Richard Patterson, John W. Drummond, David Patterson and Timothy O. Paine. The old town meeting house, built in 1795, was reseated and crowned with a steeple in 1830, and received its first coat of paint in 1836. The inside was remodeled in 1852, the steeple was reduced to the present belfry in 1884 and in 1888 the present arrangements in the audience room were perfected. This is the oldest meeting house now in regular use in Kennebec county, and the only one built at town expense, and still used for church purposes. Methodists and Free Baptists, about 1829 united in building the Union meeting house still standing on the river road, a half a mile from the Vassalboro line. Previous to this a Methodist church had been formed by David Hutchinson, a resident minister; John Fly, class leader; Charles Hayden, the surveyor; Clark Drummond, William Alvin and Franklin Blackwell and others. The exact succession and dates of the following pastors are not in the Winslow records -- the names are J.B. Husted, Daniel B. Randall, O. Bent, E.B. Fletcher, James Twing, J. Farrington, Sullivan Bray, George Winslow, Luther P. French, Henry Latham, Caleb Mugford, S.W. Pierce, George Strout, J.G. Pingree, Henry True, B.M. Mitchell, D. I. Staples, Elisha Chenery, L. C. Dunn, D. P. Thompson, Nathan Webb, D.M. True, Phineas Higgins, S. L. Hanscom, Martin Ward, who died here in 1843; David Smith, Charles Browning, R. Bryant, Samuel Ambrose, M. R. Clough, Jesse Harriman, T. Moore, J.C. Murch, B. F. Sprague, died here in 1860; Josiah Bean and J. R. Clifford, who, about 1884, was the last. Since then no regular services have been held in the old meeting house. This society was so strong that in 1834 it build a parsonage. Amos Taylor, Nathaniel Doe and C. McFadden were leading Baptists, and Elder Farwell and D. B. Lewis were early preachers. The First Baptist Church of Winslow was organized at the house of Jonas Hamlin, June 1, 1837. For ten years previous there had been occasional preaching by Elders Webber, King, Procter, Bartlett, Copeland and Knox. Since then Elders Arnold, Palmer, Ephraim Emery, Zachariah Morton, ______ Atwood, J. V. Tarbor, E. S. Fish, A. J. Nelson, Doctor Butler, I. E. Bill, E. C. Stover, Ira Emery, W. P. Palmer, ______Dore, N. G. Curtiss and A. R. McDougall have been pastors. The Deacons have been: Joseph Taylor, Ambrose Palmer, Leonard Motley, Ebenezer Abbott, D. F. Guptill and Horace Coleman. The present meeting house was built in 1850 and has been kept in good repair. The Methodist church in the eastern part of Winslow was organized at the house of Stephen Abbott, who was the first class leader. Seth and Nathan Wenworth, John Brown, Barnum Hodges, Joseph Watson and Scruton Abbott were some of the first members. In 1851 the society built a meeting house in which no regular services are now held. The following is a partial list of preachers who have labored on this charge: Elders William True, Sullivan Bray, Crawford, Crosby, Bessey, Martin Ward, Hutchinson, Jones, Fletcher, Phenix, Batchelder, Louis Wentworth in 1860, Josiah Bean, and W. B. Jackson in 1875. 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