First Parish Church

425 Congress Street

Colonial-Federal, 1825-1826

In 1740, Portland residents built a wooden meeting house called “Old Jersusalem” on this site. The Constitution of the State of Maine was drafted there in 1819. The structure stood until 1824 when the parish decided to build a new church. At the time of its completion, the First Parish Church was the first major granite structure east of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It was built with stone from Freeport, Maine. Today it stands as Portland’s oldest house of worship. John Mussey, a parishioner, is credited with the design. The structure retains its original appearance inside and out. The bannerette weather vane was salvaged from the original church, “Old Jerusalem”.