Congregational, Unitarian churches celebrate bicentennial with joint service Oct. 16

   HOULTON, Maine — The foundation of the town of Houlton has its origin in events happening in New Salem, Mass. in the early 1800’s. New Salem did not have sufficient funds to support their newly formed Academy; consequently a petition was presented to the General Court of Massachusetts asking for help.
The Legislature granted the Academy a township of land belonging to the state of Massachusetts in the district of Maine. A committee was sent to Maine to find a suitable plot among the public lands.
    They failed to find land that they thought worthy for settlement. Discouraged and disappointed they began their journey back to New Salem.  A schooner was not available to take them to Boston immediately so they had to wait a day or two at Bangor. While waiting at a hotel, they told about their wanderings and disappointments.
A local Indian, also seated beside the fire, said, “I can show you good land.” His conditions were immediately satisfied and the next morning, they began their journey.
They followed him north-easterly for about one hundred and fifty miles to a place near the boundary line of New Brunswick and not far from the St. John River. They immediately selected this land. After returning to New Salem they failed to find purchasers of these lands, and finally the need of the Academy was so great that James Houlton and several other residents of New Salem sold their farms and went as settlers to this township, which was to become “Houlton.”
The first settlers, Joseph Houlton, Aaron Putnam and Oliver Taylor left New Salem in the summer of 1804 and moved to their new township, Houlton. Their intimate friendship with Rev. Alpheus Harding (he was a school mate of Aaron Putnam) allowed them to keep a “spiritual” connection with the church back in New Salem while they were settling Houlton. Most of the settlers had been members of his church (Samuel Kendall was a Deacon at Harding’s church) and by 1811 they were longing to establish a church in their new township of Houlton.  On Oct. 10, 1811, 16 citizens of the small community of Houlton met to bind themselves in covenant and accept articles of faith parallel to the church served by Rev. Alpheus Harding in New Salem.  They wrote the following:
“We the inhabitants of the Plantation of Houlton, being members of the Church of Christ in New Salem, considering that God in his providence hath removed us from the stated means of grace, and cast our lot together in the wilderness, where we hope again to enjoy the smile of his countence and his presence, do unitedly agree to embody ourselves with such as may be pleased to unite with us in covenant, and do hereby bind ourselves in the following articles of faith.”
The proceeding was dated Oct. 10, 1811, in the Houlton Borough and signed by fifteen individuals: Deacon Samuel Kendall, Joseph Putnam, Aaron Putnam, Samuel Rice, James Houlton, Eben Warren, Joshua Kendall, Betsy Putnam, Isa Putnam, Betsey Rice, Sally Cook, Sarah Houlton, Polly Houlton, Louisa Houlton, and Hannah Shaw.
The following Sabbath, Oct. 13, 1811, this organization was completed, and the church was called the “First Congregational Church of Houlton.” Present at that meeting were six persons who were members of the church in New Salem, Massachusetts. Twelve others were added to membership by signing the covenant.  Rev. Mr. Eastman of Limerick was present and baptized one adult and two children, after which the Lord’s Supper was administered for the first time in Houlton.
Except for the brief stay of the Rev. Mr. Eastman, this little church in the wilderness was left without a pastor, for more than six years, but correspondence was kept up between the Rev. Alpheus Harding, the pastor at New Salem, and Deacon Samuel Kendall, of the Houlton church. The Rev. Seth E. Winslow of Barre, Mass. preached in Houlton, on Sept. 20, 1818, and received one person into the church and baptized a number of children. Rev. Winslow received a call to the pastorate of the church, at a salary of $400, a year, but declined and left Houlton Nov. 25, 1818.
After the departure of Mr. Winslow, the correspondence between Mr. Harding and the Houlton Church was continued. On May 9, 1820, Rev. Harding, sent two tankards used for the “Lord’s Supper” which were used in New Salem. These are still in procession of the Congregational Church here in Houlton.
In 1831, the Rev. Jos. B. Stevens was sent by the Maine Missionary Alliance to Houlton. He was instrumental in re-organizing the church, Jan. 24, 1833. New Articles of Faith and a Covenant were written and presented to the meeting by the Rev. Mr. Stevens. Both were adopted by the Church, which was called the “First Congregational Church of Houlton.” In 1835, after a visit and discussion with Rev. Alpheus Harding, a group of members in the Church decided to follow a spiritual path set forth by the Unitarians in Boston.  This spawned the sister Church called the First Unitarian Society of Houlton.
The churches were re-united on Jan. 2, 1956 after the Congregational Church burned. Since the Unitarian Church was without a minister, Rev. Royal Davis, the minister for the Congregational Church, served the joined congregations for the first few years. The churches remained together until 1970 and at that time the Congregational members built their new church. Both Churches have continued to serve a vital need of the Houlton community since 1811. The formation and development of Houlton over the last 200 years is a shared history with both churches. Many descendants of the people who came from New Salem, Massachusetts are to be found in the Houlton community today.
On Sunday, Oct. 16, 2011, the two churches will celebrate their bicentennial by sharing a joint service in the Unitarian Church Sanctuary at 10 a.m. There will be a potluck luncheon following the service. All are welcome to attend.