WINTERPORT – The Winterport Union Meeting House will hold a grand re-opening and 175th anniversary celebration at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 25.
The event will include a brief ceremony, refreshments, a building tour and free concert with local musicians, including bluegrass band Anna Mae Mitchell and Rising Tide.
In the spirit of small town community, the collaborative effort involves Winterport Union Meeting House Inc., the Winterport Woman’s Club, Winterport Town Manager Phil Pitula and local businesses and volunteers.
Built in 1833 on Main Street (Route 1A), the Winterport Union Meeting House was designed by architect Calvin Ryder as the Winterport Congregational Church. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.
It remained a church until the mid-1970s, when the Winterport Union Meeting House Inc. was founded and opened the venue for ceremonies, concerts, weddings and memorials. The building was closed to the public for almost two years due to structural problems.
Members of Winterport Union Meeting House Inc. began a major restoration campaign in 2004 to replace the leaking slate roof. Money was raised through contributions and grants from the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation, MBNA and the Narragansett Number One Foundation.
In 2005, members addressed the steeple, which had been identified in an assessment by Ames A/E of Bangor as requiring major repairs. The estimated cost was up to $175,000. An extensive Save Our Steeple Capital Fund Drive was conducted.
Nickerson & O’Day Inc. began the restoration in February 2007. When workers removed siding, they discovered that support beams were rotted through and had to be replaced. Ames A/E engineers said that if repairs had not been addressed, the steeple would have collapsed within a year.
Steel beams were erected in the walls between the foyer and gathering area to give additional support to the west wall of the steeple. What was believed would be a three- to four-month project took nearly seven months.
The meeting house is now structurally sound, but needs more work to ensure that it continues to serve Winterport and neighboring communities.
The reopening and 175th anniversary celebration will highlight the special features of this venue, enlighten supporters as to restoration needs and jump-start a summer season of live entertainment.
For information, call Gerie Smith, president of WUMH Inc., 223-9950.
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