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First Baptist Church
of Paris, Maine P.O. Box 85 |
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In the late autumn of 1829, ten brethren and ten sisters banded together in church covenant and formed the First Baptist Church in Paris, Maine. For twelve years the church meetings were held in a barn in summer and private homes in the winter. In April 1803 a committee purchased a 4 acre parcel of land and the church was built by Isaiah Fuller. In July 1821, the Revere Bell was procured and swung in the belfry of the church tower. The Revere Foundry book lists the sale of this bell as “#252; July 25, 1821; Paris, Maine; 906 lbs”. It was not cast by Paul Revere, but by his son Joseph Warren Revere. This bell was initially owned by the County of Oxford and the residents of Paris, Maine, to be overseen by the Court of Sessions. It was subject to this dual ownership until 1900, at which time the town turned over all interest in the church building. There are no records of the church kept until March 1829. The original building was razed and the current building built by Mr. John Porter, dedicated in 1838. The basement was used for town business. In 1864 the vestry was added and in 1883 a town clock was added as a gift from Hon. Hannibal Hamlin. On June 4, 1893 the first baptism in the new Baptismal was conducted. There have been a few renovations to the church and sanctuary but the historical structure has not been significantly changed. First Baptist Church of Paris is the “mother” of ten other churches: 1802 – Second Buckfield
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