Western Maine Foothills Region

Text by Donna Towle
Images from Dixfield Historical Society

The Town of Dixfield's enduring landmark, known as the "Church on the Hill," was first dedicated on November 28, 1828, as the Universalist Church. Prior to this, in 1806, representatives from the Massachusetts Missionary Society and the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel met with various church members of several denominations and founded the First Congregational Church of Christ. It was comprised of ten Charter Members who held services in private homes for many years before the church was built.

Loraine (Welch) Smith, former Congregational Church and Historical Society member, wrote the following history as part of an article for the Lewiston Daily Sun in the 1950s:

This early building had separate entrances for the men and women and a balcony in the back which opened into the church proper. This balcony held the organ and choir so the attendants had to “about face” when there was hymn singing. The members owned their pews and there were many small ones with tiny doors at either side of the pulpit. From the time the building was erected, lack of funds hindered the work and in 1846 the group decided to buy a chapel on Main Street. They met there until 1877 when it was sold to a private owner. The church was sold to the Universalists in 1855 for $350, and one of the first things they did was to install a bell in the tower with a generous contribution of $75 from the ladies known by the imposing name, "Dixfield Universalist Circle of Industry”—later called the Ladies’ Aid Society. The fine tone of the bell is accounted for by the fact that a Mr. Eustis went to Boston to attend an exhibition of bells and bought the winner in a contest for the best tone. During the next 25 years in the interior of the church, the balcony was torn down, the doors leading into the pews were removed and the side pews either removed or rearranged. It was during this pastorate of Rev. Townsend that the beautiful stained glass memorial windows were introduced.

Since that time additional changes have occurred. In 1912 the Baptists and Universalists voted to combine into the Congregational Union Church, with Pastor Rev. Ransom E. Gilkey providing “rare qualities of patience, tact, vision, and judgment that cemented the union and started it on a firm basis.” In 1917 the Esty pipe organ was installed. Carpeting and interior artistry during the late 1920’s and early '30s added yet much needed improvements. The building addition in 1961 made possible expanded space for parish functions and Sunday School classrooms, a kitchen, and restrooms.

Many townspeople today remember special Easter services held during the 1950s. All the girls were adorned in new Easter hats and pretty dresses that were beautifully puffed out with crinoline petty coats underneath; the boys looked polished in their new ties, pants, and shiny shoes. Easter Sunrise Services began at 6:00 a.m. on the bank of the "Church on the Hill." The grass was hardly growing in the cold, spring air. Practically every child in town was there as they sang "In the Garden" and "The Old Rugged Cross." After the chilly morning service, everyone walked down to the social building on Main Street for toast, jam, and the delicious hard-boiled eggs that were served by church ladies group. Then it was home to devour special treats held in their Easter baskets! It was a happy and fun time of year that the children of Dixfield would look forward to and in which the whole community would participate.

In more recent years, church membership has declined somewhat, as it has with many churches throughout the country. However, this old church with its steeple that houses that old, melodious brass bell is still a beacon of hope to all who seek respite within its walls and stands as a sentinel for the Town of Dixfield, as it has for nearly two hundred years.

Sources:

Dixfield Historical Society Archives
DHS Members
Loraine Welch Smith Scrapbooks, DHS Coll.#028
Loraine Welch Smith, The Dixfield Congregational Church, ca.1950
Historical Sketch, Reginald W. Wing., The Church on the Hill, 2006