North Meeting House

(Head Tide Church)

The thing that tipped the scales in Alna’s case was the difficulty in getting to the old meetinghouse in the winter, during spring freshets and mud-season. More people now lived closer to Head Tide than to Alna Center, and in 1838 five of the leading men in town offered to acquire a piece of land in Head Tide and take responsibility for funding construction of a new church building there. Initially called the North Meeting House, it looked like what we consider a quintessential New England church.

Now managed and maintained by the Friends of Head Tide Church, the North Meeting House included a curious blend of various architectural elements.

In tearing themselves from the original meetinghouse, the church members seemed to have an emotional need to bring a part of it with them. Like the town's original meetinghouse, the main feature of the interior space of the new Head Tide Church was the raised pulpit, adorned with faux wood grain painting, and accessed by a short flight of stairs on each side. Most striking, however, was the false or trompe l'oeil painted window, complete with painted heavy velvet curtain, which occupies much of the wall behind the preacher's bench. While it is an exact copy of the real window in the 1789 meetinghouse, it is the most architecturally incongruous feature in the new building.

Historic interior of Head Tide Church, showing the raised pulpit and trompe l'oeil Palladian window, Head Tide, Maine

The trompe l'oeil Palladian window behind the pulpit in the Head Tide Church, complete with painted velvet curtain, is reminiscent of the real window in the 1789 meetinghouse.

Friends of Head Tide Church

The Friends of the Head Tide Church raise funds and volunteer hundreds of hours to keep Head Tide’s “jewel on the hill” in good condition.  Separate from the Fund to Support Historic Alna, the “Friends” invite you to join in protecting this historic treasure for future generations by considering a tax-deductible gift to the Friends of the Head Tide Church. Every gift, in any amount, will be directed toward restoration, painting, and repairing projects that must be carried out each year. For more information, send a message to:  headtidechurch@gmail.com.

Physical Address:

29 Head Tide Church Road Alna, ME, 04535

Mailing Address:

P.O Box 138
Alna, ME 04535