The First Parish Meeting House is the oldest public building in Biddeford and one of the oldest meeting houses in Maine. It is a single story, gable front structure, sheathed in clapboards. Its symmetrical facade contains two entry doors on the ground floor and a sash window in the gable. Both the window and doors are topped by a louvered pointed arch. It was built by Nathaniel Perkins, a local master builder, using hand hewn timbers. The building originally had a belfry and side galleries on the interior. These were removed along with the soundboard and the pulpit lowered in 1840. The meeting house was used for both religious services as well as public meetings, playing an important role in the Revolutionary War as a local organizing site. It is the mother church for both the First Parish Congregational Church in Saco and the United Church of Christ Congregation in Biddeford. It is currently owned by the Biddeford Historical Society and used for events.
Year Listed: 1972
For more information: https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail?assetID=a5508ec2-1b78-4cd9-8af5-99f6e3ef7333