© 2024 Maine Public | Registered 501(c)(3) EIN: 22-3171529
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Scroll down to see all available streams.

Group Works To Restore Church Ahead Of 200th Anniversary

Ed Morin
/
Maine Public/file
The exterior of the Abyssinian Meeting House in Portland, seen in June of 2013.

PORTLAND, Maine - A Maine nonprofit is working to restore a historic African-American church building ahead of its 200th anniversary.
 
The Portland Press Herald reports the Abyssinian Meeting House in Portland is the third-oldest church building in the U.S. built by a black congregation. The building dates back to 1828 and it saw visitors such as Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison.

Ed Morin
/
Maine Public/file
A plaque outside the Abyssinian Meeting House, seen in June of 2013, explains the origins of the historic church.

The Committee to Restore the Abyssinian is now working to raise $1.5 million to transform the building into a history center.
 
Portland City Manager Jon Jennings recently gave the committee $35,000 to help match grant funding. He says the building is "one of the greatest components of our history.''
 
Jennings and the committee say they plan to reach out to the business committee for a final push in support.