Modern day photograph of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 2012- Collection of the Castine Historical Society, Photograph by Nick Tenney
Photograph of the exterior of the church, c. early 20th century- Collection of the Castine Historical Society
Photograph of the interior of the church, c. 1900- Collection of the Castine Historical Society
Photograph of a wedding inside the church, c. 1912- Collection of the Castine Historical Society
Detail of stereoview of the church, c. 1870's- Collection of the Castine Historical Society
Copy portrait of Parson William Mason, Castine's first settled minister, by Jeremiah Hardy. The copy portrait was gifted to the church in 1897- photograph courtesy of Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Castine
The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Castine occupies one of the oldest houses of worship in Downeast Maine. The original structure was built in 1791 and fulfilled the requirement for each new community in the Province of Maine to build a meeting house suitable for the “publick worship of God.”
As was typical of the time, the meeting house served as the site of both Sunday worship and town meetings. In the 1820s, the congregation split into two groups who disagreed over theology. One group left the congregation and formed the Trinitarian Congregational Parish (now on Main Street) while the other group remained, later reorganizing as Unitarian. The meeting house was redesigned in the 1830s, and a new bell was installed, cast by Paul Revere’s son, Joseph Warren Revere. The bell still rings on Sunday mornings.
The meeting house remains an important gathering place in Castine. It is home to the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Castine, whose mission includes supporting and sustaining the spiritual, ethical, intellectual, and overall well-being of its members.
For more information, please visit the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Castine's website: http://uucastine.org/