The oldest house of worship in
Portland is the First
Parish Church. Three hundred years ago, people thought that
Congress Street was an open area in the country, so they built a wooden
meeting house there and called it Old Jerusalem. In 1730 they
rebuilt “Old Jerusalem” and renamed it the First Parish Church.
The First Parish Church was built in 1674. It was burned by the
Indians in 1690. There have been three churches built at that
site because of the British bombings and fires. In 1749, Portland
and the Indians signed a treaty agreeing not to have wars. They
signed it in the church. During the Revolutionary War, the
British hit the outside of the church by cannonballs. Now one of
the cannonballs is in the chandelier. In 1794 they put a clock on
the tower and in 1815, the church had its first heater.
It should be on our trail because it has a lot of
history. It could be studied by other students and teachers, and
other people as well.
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