Winslow Congregational Church - United Church of Christ - History

Winslow Congregational Church
United Church of Christ
History of Our Church and Community

written by Clyde Russell and Ina Stinneford
edited by Tammy Gould

[Editor's Note: In 1978, church member Clyde Russell wrote a history on the first 150 years of our congregation, from its formation in 1828 through our then pastor, Rev. Stephen Ericson. After the first installment, a second history, compiled by former church historian Ian Stinneford in 1965 was presented to me. As we look forward to celebrating our 175th anniversary this August, we revisit Clyde's and Ina's work, now, presented as four chapters. ]

Chapter 1: In The Beginning (1794 - 1828)
Chapter 2: Restlessness and Growth (1828 - 1880)
Chapter 3: Building a Solid Foundation (1880 - 1950)
Chapter 4: Flood and Fellowship (1950 - present)

Chapter 1: In The Beginning (1794 - 1828)

The first Congregational minister came to Winslow in 1794. He was Joshua Cushman and he was employed the Town of Winslow (which included what is now Waterville and Oakland). He was thirty-six years old, a veteran of the Revolutionary War, a graduate of Harvard, and he had a year of post-graduate study with Rev. Ephraim Boggs. When Waterville and Oakland separated from Winslow in 1802, the town continued to employ him until 1814. Then it gave him $1200, as severance pay.

The day of the established church was over. It had become possible for anybody who didn't want his taxed to go for preaching to "poll off." A good many citizens had "polled off."

While he was preaching, Joshua Cushman was elected three times to the Massachusetts Legislature. After he stopped preaching, he served in the United States Congress as a Representative from both Massachusetts and Maine (Maine was still part of Massachusetts until 1820). He voted against the admission of Maine to the Union if it was going to mean admitting Missouri as a slave state. He was an unusual combination -- a Congregational minister who was a Democrat. In 1834, he died right in the well of the Maine House of Representatives and his body lies in the tomb across the street from the State Capitol.

His preaching was so liberal that some people said he was the first Unitarian minister. After he left the ministry, he attended the Universalist Church in Waterville.

The Winslow Congregational Church never built or bought a church building. When the Massachusetts law required the town to employ a "gospel teacher," meeting houses were built in 1797 on both sides of the Kennebec River. On the east side of the river, the land was donated by Arthur Lithgow. Both buildings were financed by selling the pews. The deeds to the pews were recorded in the town records. Regardless of who owned the buildings, the pews belonged to the persons who had paid for them. When there began to be town offices, they were in the meeting house and remained there until the 1880's.

Sixty-six years after the meeting houses were built, the unknown author of "Talk About Winslow" wrote:

"The meeting house was built so far as to erect a frame and cover it with boards, clapboards, and shingles in 1979. It was also glazed and the pews made on the floor. A pulpit was also made. There was neither plastering, paint, not even lathing. Many who read this will remember gazing on those naked beams and rafters as they entered the house of worship; and also that the attention of young persons and children in summer was frequently diverted from the solemn truths uttered by the preacher to the swallows that flew and chirped in the open spaces above, unmolested."

For an account of the beginnings of Congregationalism in Winslow, there is a letter written by Grandmother Abiel Paine to her grandson in 1850.

"In the spring of 1818, the Massachusetts [Home] Missionary Society sent a missionary to Vassalborough, by name Rev. Thomas Adams. Very soon after his arrival Deacon Talbot called upon hime to let him know our state and invite him to visit us."

The young man called at the Paines' in July and by November 1, 1818 was ready to establish a group of Christians in Winslow as a branch of the Vassalborough church, which in turn was a branch of the Hallowell church.

In June 1819, Rev. Adams helped found "The Female Benevolent Society of Winslow and Clinton for Support of the Gospel." (Benton Falls was then a part of Clinton.) The name has been shortened to "The Female Society of Winslow for the Support of the Gospel" and the society is commonly referred to as "The June Meeting." Its annual dues remain 25 cents and it prides itself on being one of the oldest women's organizations in the United States.

On May 18, 1828, a Sabbath School Society was founded; its members being the leaders of the branch church. Finally, the Vassalborough church dismissed 42 members of its branch in Winslow to organize their own church.

An ecclesiastical council of ministers and lay delegates from Winthrop, Hallowell, Norridgewock, Bloomfield, and Vassalborough met August 27, 1828 in the schoolhouse across the road (building lost in the flood of 1987) and weighed the qualifications of the members of the proposed church and of the minister, Mr. William May, of Winthrop. (His brother, Seth, was to become a justice of the Maine Supreme Court.)

The next day they met in the meeting house, constituted the church, and ordained Mr. May. Thirteen men and twenty-nine women had been members of the Winslow branch of the Vassalborough church, but only eight men and twenty-two women became members of the new church. Thus, the only voting members were Deacon Peter Talbot, Frederic Paine, Suprelit Wilmouth, Jonathan Garland, Asa Burnham, Thomas Rice, David Garland, and Robert R. Drummond. Of course the women were members and were listed among the men, but they did not vote or hold office any more than they did in town meeting. For almost 20 years there were rarely more than seven votes cast on any issue.

Chapter 1: In The Beginning (1794 - 1828)
Chapter 2: Restlessness and Growth (1828 - 1880)
Chapter 3: Building a Solid Foundation (1880 - 1950)
Chapter 4: Flood and Fellowship (1950 - present)

Winslow Congregational Church United Church of Christ History of Our Church and Community

Winslow Congregational Church
United Church of Christ
History of Our Church and Community